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A  Lonely  House.     Page  4o. 


LIVING  TOO  FAST; 


OR, 


The  Confessions  of  a  Bank  Officer, 


BY 


WILLIAM    T.    ADAMS, 

{Oliver  Optic.) 


Author  op  "IN' Doors  and  Out,"  "The  Way  of  the  World," 
"Young  America  Abroad,"  &c.   &c. 


IL LUSTRA  TED, 


BOSTON: 
LEE    AND    SHEPARD,    PUBLISHERS 

NEW    YORK: 
CHARLES   T.    DILLINGHAM, 

18T6. 


-^UM 


COPYRIGHT, 

By  WILLIAM  T.  ADAMS, 

1876. 


Electrotyped  by  C.  C.  Morse  &  Son,  Haverhill,  Mass, 


S3 

PEEFACB. 

\ 

*  


The  story  contained  in  this  volume  records  the  experience  of  a 
bank  officer,  "  living  too  fast,"  in  the  downward  career  of  crime. 
The  writer  is  entirely  willing  now  to  believe  that  this  career  ought 
to  have  ended  in  the  state  prison  ;  but  his  work  is  a  story,  and  he 
has  chosen — perhaps  unhappily — to  punish  the  defaulter  in  another 
way.  Yet  running  through  the  narrative  for  the  sake  of  the  con- 
trast, is  the  experience  of  a  less  showy,  but  more  honest  young 
man  than  the  principal  character,  who  represents  the  true  life  the 
young  business  man  ought  to  lead.  The  author  is  not  afraid  that 
any  of  his  young  friends  who  may  read  this  book  will  be  tempted 
into  an  "  irregularity  "  by  the  example  of  the  delinquent  bank 
officer,  for  it  will  be  found  that  his  career  of  crime  is  full  of  re- 
morse and  positive  suffering. 

Dorchester,  July  1,  1876. 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

CHAPTER    I. 

Getting  a  Situation,    .         .         .         .         .         .         11 

CHAPTER    II. 

Miss  Lilian  Oliphant, 27 

CHAPTER    III. 
Going  to  Housekeeping, 42 

CHAPTER    IV. 
The  English  Basement  House,    .         •        .         .         57 

CHAPTER    Y. 

Lilian  Astonished  —  So  Am  I,         .         .         .         .     *12 
CHAPTER    YI. 

A  Family  Jar, 87 

7 


8  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTEK  VII. 
A  Shadow  of  Suspicion,    .....         102 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Coming  to  the  Point,  .         .         .         .         . .        116 

CHAPTER    IX. 
A  Lonely  House, 131 

CHAPTER     X. 
My  Wife  and  I, 145 

CHAPTER     XI. 
Over  the  Precipice, 160 

CHAPTER    XII. 

A  Keeper  in  the  House,  .         .         .         .         .         1H 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
The  Second  Step,       ......         18T 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

The  House-Warming,  .         .         .         .         .         156 

CHAPTER     XV. 

My  Uncle  is  Savage,         .         .         .         .         .         214 

CHAPTER    XVI, 

CORMORIN    AND    I,  ......  220 


CONTENTS.  9 

CHAPTER     XVII. 
Providing  for  the  Worst,  ....         242 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 
Bustumups  at  Fifty,  .....         256 

CHAPTER    XIX. 
A  Crash  in  Coppers,  .         .         .         ,         .         270 

CHAPTER    XX. 

The  Last  Step,  .         .         .         .         .         .         283 

CHAPTER    XXI. 
An  Exile  from  Home,  ....        297 

CHAPTER    XXII. 
Charles  Gaspiller, 311 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 
My  Confession, 324 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 
Aunt  Rachel's  Will, 337 


LIVING   TOO   FAST; 


OK, 


THE  CONFESSIONS  OF  A  BANK  OFFICER. 


-O- 


GHAPTER  I. 

GETTING   A  SITUATION. 


UT  DON'T  wish 
I      to   stand   in 
your    way,      Tom 
Flynn." 

"And  I  don't 
wish  to  stand  in 
your  way,  P  a  1  e  y 
Glasswood,"  replied 
Tom,  with  a  refresh- 
ing promptness,  which  was  intended  to  assure  me, 
and  did  assure  me?  that  he  was  my  friend,  and 
that  he  was  unwilling  to  take  any  unfair  advan- 
tage of  me. 


12  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

Tom  and  myself  were  applicants  for  the  situa- 
tion of  discount  clerk  in  the  Forty-ninth  National 
Bank  of  Boston.  We  had  submitted  our  applica- 
tions separately,  and  each  without  the  knowledge 
of  the  other.  If  we  had  taken  counsel  together 
before  doing  so,  possibly  some  sentimental  out- 
break would  have  prevented  one  or  the  other  from 
placing  himself  even  in  a  seeming  attitude  of  com- 
petition with  the  other.  We  had  been  school- 
mates in  Springhaven,  had  been  cronies,  and 
agreed  as  well  as  boj^s  usually  do.  It  is  true  he 
had  given  me  a  tremendous  thrashing  on  one  occa- 
sion, when  I  ventured  to  regard  myself  as  physi- 
cally his  equal.  Though  I  could  not  quite  forgive 
him  for  the  drubbing  he  gave  me,  I  did,  not 
respect  him  any  the  less.  While  we  were  good 
friends,  as  the  world  goes,  I  was  sometimes  rather 
annoyed  by  the  consciousness  of  being  slightly  his 
inferior. 

Tom  was  always  a  little  ahead  of  me  in  schol- 
arship, and  always  contrived  to  come  out  just  in 
advance  of  me  in  every  thing  in  which  we  were 
brought  into  real  or  fancied  rivalry  with  each 
other.  Still  he  was  never  so  far  before  me  as  to 
shut  me  out  of  the  sphere  in  which  he  moved. 
But  in    spite    of  my    repeated    partial    defeats,  I 


GETTING  A  SITUATION.  13 

regarded  myself  as  fulty  his  equal.  Perhaps  my 
vanity  assured  me  that  I  was  slightly  his  superior, 
for,  like  the  rest  of  the  world,  I  was  human  then, 
as  I  have  unfortunately  proved  myself  to  be  since. 
I  was  tolerably  sure  that  in  the  great  battle  of 
life  which  all  of  us  are  compelled  to  fight,  I 
should  come  out  all  right.  When  it  came  to  the 
matter  of  business,  I  was  confident  that  I  should 
outstrip  him. 

Both  of  us  had  been  graduated  at  the  Spring- 
haven  High  School,  with  the  highest  honors, 
though  as  usual  Tom  was  a  little  higher  than 
myself,  for  while  he  received  the  first  diploma, 
the  second  was  awarded  to  me.  Tom  was  my 
friend,  and  always  treated  me  with  the  utmost 
kindness  and  consideration,  but  I  could  not  help 
feeling  just  a  little  stung  by  his  superiority;  by 
his  continually  coming  out  about  half  a  length  ahead 
of  me.  Springhaven  is  not  so  far  from  the 
metropolis  of  New  England  as  to  be  regarded  as 
a  provincial  town  ;  and  though  engaging  in  business 
anywhere  except  in  the  great  city  was  not  the 
height  of  his  or  my  ambition,  Tom  had  gone  into 
a  store  in  his  native  place,  and  obtained  his  earli- 
est knowledge  of  the  ways  of  the  world.  But 
when  he  was  twenty-one    he  obtained  a    situation 


14  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

in  an  office  in  the  city  in  which  he  received  a 
salary  of   six  hundred  dollars  a  year. 

Again,  at  this  interesting  period  of  life  which 
seems  to  be  the  beginning  of  all  things  to  a 
young  man,  Tom  was  ahead  of  me,  for  I  had 
gone  to  the  city  as  a  boy  of  sixteen,  and  when  I 
was  of  age,  my  employers  refused  to  give  me  over 
five  hundred  a  year.  Tom  had  been  lucky  —  this 
was  my  view  of  the  case.  Tom  had  blundered 
into  a  good  situation,  and  it  was  no  merit  of  his 
own.  I  deserved  something  better  than  I  had, 
and  it  was  only  the  stupid  and  stingy  policy  of 
the  firm  which  had  "brought  me  up"  that  ren- 
dered my  position  inferior  to  that  of  my  friend. 

I  had  one  advantage  over  my  friendly  rival, 
however,  in  my  own  estimation.  My  character 
was  above  suspicion,  which  could  not  be  said  of 
Tom,  though  in  the  city  not  a  word  affecting  his 
reputation  had  ever  been  breathed,  so  far  as  I  was 
aware.  At  the  store  in  Springhaven  where  Tom 
had  served  two  years  as  a  clerk,  several  sums  of 
money  had  been  missed.  There  was  no  proof  that 
Tom  took  them,  but  a  few  people  in  town  knew 
that  he  was  suspected  of  the  theft,  especially  as 
he  appeared  to  be  living  beyond  his  income.  I 
do  not  believe  my  friend  even  knew  that  he   was 


GETTING  A  SITUATION.  15 

suspected  of  the  theft,  but  inasmuch  as  he  was 
the  only  person  besides  the  two  partners  who  had 
access  to  the  safe  where  the  money  was  kept,  it 
seemed  probable  to  Mr.  Gorham,  the  senior  mem- 
ber, that  he  was  guilty. 

It  was  a  serious  matter,  and  the  two  partners 
used  every  effort  to  discover  the  thief.  They  put 
decoys  in  the  safe,  such  as  marked  bank  bills,  and 
resorted  to  various  expedients,  but  it  always  hap- 
pened that  none  of  these  traps  were  ever  disturbed. 
Though  various  sums  mysteriously  disappeared,  the 
decoys  were  never  touched.  Mr.  Gorham  declared 
that  Tom  was  too  smart  for  him,  and  Mr.  Welch, 
the  junior,  never  said  much  about  the  matter.  At 
a  convenient  time,  without  stating  any  reason  for 
the  step,  Tom  was  informed  that  his  services  were 
no  longer  required ;  that  a  change  in  the  business 
rendered  them  unnecessary.  The  junior  partner 
retired  from  the  firm,  and  the  senior  carried  on 
the  store  alone. 

Mr.  Gorham  was  a  relative  of  my  mother,  and 
knowing  of  my  intimacy  with  Tom,  he  regarded 
it  as  his  duty  to  inform  her  of  the  suspicions 
which  he  entertained.'  My  mother  was  shocked 
and  appalled.  Tom  was  the  son  of  one  of  the 
best  men  in  the  town,  and  as  there  was  no  direct 


16  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

proof  of  the  crime,  it  was  not  deemed  expedient  to 
say  anything  about  it.  Mr.  Gorham  did  not  say 
anything,  except  to  my  mother,  and  she,  appreci- 
ating the  kindness  of  her  kinsman,  faithfully  prom- 
ised to  keep  the  momentous  secret.  Probably 
there  were  not  a  half  dozen  persons  in  Spring- 
haven  who  knew  that  Tom  left  his  place  under 
suspicion,  and  those  were  the  family  and  intimate 
friends  of  the  storekeeper. 

I  will  not  say  that  the  knowledge  of  this  cir- 
cumstance afforded  me  any  satisfaction,  but  it 
helped  me  to  feel  that  I  was  the  superior  of  Tom ; 
that  in  being  honest  I  had  a  decided  advantage 
over  him.  I  could  not  disbelieve  the  story  as  it 
came  from  the  lips  of  my  mother,  though  it  was 
possible  there  was  some  mistake.  Within  three 
years  after  the  change  in  the  firm  of  Gorham  & 
Welch,  the  junior  partner  "went  to  destruction," 
and  in  the  light  of  this  after  revelation,  it  was 
possible  that  he  had  appropriated  the  money.  Mr. 
Gorham  hinted  as  much  to  my  mother,  and  she, 
knowing  that  Tom  and  myself  were  still  intimate, 
gave  me  the  suggestion  as  a  confirmation  of  what 
I  had  always  said  in  his  defence.  I  had  found  it 
quite  impossible  to  dissolve  my  relations  with  Tom, 
strongly  as  my  mother  desired  it.     Without  exactly 


GETTING  A  SITUATION.  17 

believing  that  he  was  guilty  of  the  whispered 
iniquity,  I  felt  that  he  would  be  a  sufferer  on  ac- 
count of  it. 

The  position  in  the  bank  for  which  we  were 
both  applicants,  was  considered  a  remarkably  good 
one  for  a  young  man  like  Tom  or  me.  I  had 
considerable  influence  which  I  could  bring  to  bear 
upon  the  directors,  and  so  had  my  friend,  but  it 
seemed  to  be  an  even  thing  between  him  and  me. 
In  the  light  of  past  experience,  I  felt  that  Tom 
would  get  ahead  of  me  again,  and  I  was  intense- 
ly anxious  to  succeed,  in  order  that  I  might  re- 
gain the  ground  I  had  continually  lost. 

I  have  called  my  book  "  Confessions."  I  mean 
that  they  shall  be  such ;  and  of  course  I  do  not 
set  myself  up  as  a  model  man.  I  did  wrong,  and 
that  was  the  source  of  all  my  misery.  I  shall  not, 
therefore,  deem  it  necessary  to  apologize  for  each 
individual  fault  of  which  I  was  guilty.  My  read- 
ers can  blame  me  as  they  will — and  I  deserve  the 
severest  censure.  I  have  sent  grief  and  dismay 
into  the  bosoms  of  my  friends,  and  my  story  is  a 
warning  voice  to  all  who  are  disposed  to  yield  to 
the  temptations  which  beset  every  man  in  his  busi- 
ness relations. 

I  met  Tom  Flynn  on  the  street,  and  I  think  he 
2 


18  LIVING  TOO  FAST, 

was  sincerely  desirous  not  to  step  into  my  path. 
I  am  confident  he  had  a  genuine  regard  for  me, 
and  that,  if  he  could  have  been  sure  of  securing 
the  situation  in  the  bank  to  me  by  withdrawing 
from  the  competition  himself,  he  would  have  done 
so  on  the  moment.  But  there  were  other  appli- 
cants, and  if  he  retired  from  the  field  at  all,  he 
was  as  likely  to  do  it  in  favor  of  some  stranger  as 
of  me. 

"  I  should  like  the  place,  Tom,  though  I  don't 
wish  to  stand  in  your  way,"  I  added ;  but  in  say- 
ing so,  I  am  afraid  I  only  indulged  in  a  conven- 
tional form  of  speech,  desiring  only  to  appear  to 
be  as  generous  and  self-sacrificing  as  he   was. 

"  Of  course  it  is  my  duty  to  do  as  well  as  I  can 
for  myself,  but  if  I  can  get  out  of  your  way  with- 
out losing  the  chance  for  one  of  us,  I  will  do 
so." 

"  Thank  you,  Tom.  That's  handsome,  and  I 
would  do  as  much  for  you;  but  as  neither  of  us 
can  foresee  the  issue,  we  will  each  do  the  best  he 
can  to  get  the  place.     That's  fair." 

"  Certainly  it  is ;  and  whichever  is  successful, 
there  shall  be  no  hard  feelings  on  the  part  of  the 
other." 

At  that  moment  Tom  raised    his  hat  to  a  lady, 


GETTING  A  SITUATION.  19 

and  turning  from  me  spoke  to  her.  She  was  a 
beautiful  creature,  and  though  it  would  have  been 
quite  proper  for  me  to  terminate  the  interview, 
I  was  not  inclined  to  do  so,  for  the  lady  filled  my 
eye,  and  I  could  not  help  looking  at  her. 

"Be  sure  and  come,  Mr.  Flynn,  said  she." 

"  I  shall  certainly  go  if  nothing  unforeseen  oc- 
curs, M  replied  he.  "Miss  Oliphant,  allow  me  to 
make  you  acquainted  with  my  particular  friend, 
Mr.  Paley  Glass  wood, "  he  added,  turning   to  me. 

I  was  very  glad  indeed  to  know  her,  for  I 
could  not  remember  that  any  lady  had  ever  be- 
fore made  so  captivating  an  impression  upon  me, 
even  after  a  much  longer  acquaintance.  She  was 
not  only  very  pretty,  but  she  was  elegantly  dressed, 
and  I  concluded  that  she  belonged  to  some  "nob- 
by" "  family.  I  was  pleased  with  her,  and  said 
some  of  the  prettiest  things  I  could  invent  for  the 
occasion.     I  hoped  we  should  meet  again. 

"  Mr.  Flynn,  you  must  bring  your  friend  with 
you  to-morrow  evening,"  she  continued. 

"  Thank  you,  Miss  Oliphant ;  I  should  be  de- 
lighted to  take  him  with  me,  and  as  he  is  here, 
he  can  speak  for  himself,"  replied  Tom. 

"  Just  a  quiet  little  party  of  half-a-dozen  at  our 
house,  to-morrow  evening.  I  hope  you  will  come, 
Mr.  Glass  wood,"  she  added. 


20  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  I  should  be  very  happy  to  join  you,  and  I  will 
do  so,"  I  answered. 

She  was  very  pretty,  and  she  seemed  to  grow 
prettier  every  moment  that  I  looked  at  her.  Her 
eyes  sparkled  and  she  smiled  so  sweetly,  that  I 
am  forced  to  acknowledge  I  experienced  a  new 
sensation  in  her  presence.  I  repeated  my  promise 
to  join  the  little  party,  and  no  entreaty  was  neces- 
sary to  render  me  a  willing  follower.  She  bowed 
and  passed  on,  mingling  with  the  bright  throng 
that  gaily  flitted  up  and  down  Washington  Street. 
My  eyes  followed  her  till  she  was  lost  in  the 
crowd,  and  I  almost  forgot  that  I  was  an  appli- 
cant for  the  situation  of  discount  clerk  in  the 
Forty-ninth  National  Bank. 

"  Well,  Paley,  they  say  the  place  will  be  filled  at 
the  meeting  of  the  directors  to-morrow  forenoon," 
said  Tom,  calling  me  away  from  the  sea  of  moon- 
shine in  which  I  was  at  that  moment  floating,  as 
my  eyes  followed  the  graceful  form  of  Miss  Oli- 
phant. 

44  So  I  have  been  told,  and  we  shall  have  but 
little  time  left  to  work.  By  the  way,  who  is  Miss 
Oliphant  ?" 

"  She  is  a  very  pretty  girl,"  laughed  Tom. 

44  Tell  me  what  I  don't  know.     What    is  she  ?" 


GETTING  A  SITUATION.  21 

"  She  is  the  daughter  of  a  small  merchant,  who 
is  in  rather  shaky  circumstances,  they  say.  He 
lives  on  Tremont  Street,  and  has  three  marriage- 
able daughters." 

"  If  they  are  all  as  passable  as  the  one  I  have 
just  seen,  their  chances  are  good." 

"  I  don't  know  about  that,"  added  Tom,  laugh- 
ing. "Miss  Lilian  dresses  magnificently,  you  per- 
ceive ;  and  whoever  marries  one  of  those  girls 
will  find  money  a  cash  article.  You  shall  see 
them  all  to-morrow." 

"  I  should  say  that  a  wife  like  this  Miss  Oli- 
phant  was  cheap  at  any  price." 

"  I  think  so  myself,  if  a  fellow  can  afford  such 
an  expensive  luxury.  But,  Paley,  we  must  not 
waste  our  time,"  added  Tom,  glancing  at  the  Old 
South  clock.  "  I  must  find  a  man  who  can  do  a 
good  thing  for  me  at  the  bank. 

"  So  must  I." 

We  parted,  and  as  I  walked  down  the  street,  I 
could  not  help  recalling  the  vision  of  loveliness  I 
had  beheld  in  the  person  of  Miss  Lilian  Oliphant. 
I  was  on  my  way  to  one  of  the  insurance  offices 
frequented  by  my  uncle,  Captain  Halliard,  a  re- 
tired shipmaster,  who  dabbled  in  stocks,  and  was 
a  director    in  the  Japan    Marine    Insurance  Com- 


22  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

pany.  He  had  influence,  and  I  relied  principally 
upon  him  to  engineer  my  application  at  the  bank. 
He  was  a  man  of  the  world  in  the  broadest  sense 
of  the  term.  He  believed  in  making  money,  and 
in  getting  ahead  in  business,  and  though  he 
paid  a  reasonable  respect  to  conventional  forms, 
I  am  not  quite  certain  that  he  believed  in  any- 
thing higher.  In  character  and  purposes,  he  was 
the  very  antipode  of  my  mother,  whose  brother 
he  was. 

I  found  him  reading  a  newspaper  in  the  office. 
He  dropped  it  when  he  saw  me,  and  I  thought  he 
looked  very  anxious.  He  had  undertaken  to  pro- 
cure me  the  situation  I  was  ambitious  to  obtain, 
and  though  I  don't  think  he  cared  much  for  me 
individually,  he  was  persistent  in  carrying  out 
any  scheme  upon  which  he  had  fixed  his  mind. 

"  Paley,  your  chance  is  small,"  said  he,  candidly, 
after  we  had  passed  the  time  of  day. 

My  heart  sank  within  me. 

44  I  am  sorry  to  hear  it,"  I  replied,  gloomily. 

44  Tom  Flynn  has  the  inside  track." 

As  usual!  It  seemed  to  be  laid  down  as  the 
immutable  law  of  circumstances  that  Tom  should 
always  come  out  just  a  little  ahead  of  me.  I  was 
vexed.     Tom  had  six  hundred  dollars  a  year,  while 


GETTING  A  SITUATION.  23 

I  had  but  five  hundred.  It  was  cruel  and  unjust 
to  me.  His  income  was  to  be  doubled,  and  mine 
to  remain  as  it  was. 

-mi 

44  I  was  afraid  Tom  would  get  ahead  of  me,"  I 
added.  "  But  I  would  rather  he  should  have  the 
place  than  any  other  person,  if  I  can't  get  it." 

"  Nonsense,  Paley.  Don't  talk  bosh  !  I  haven't 
given  up  all  hope  yet,  by  any  means.  Tom  is 
well  enough,  I  dare  say,  but  you  must  have  this 
place,  if  possible." 

44  I  should  like  to  have  it,"  I  added,  hopelessly. 

"  Paley,  what  was  that  story  about  Tom  which 
was  kept  so  still  in  Springhaven  ?"  continued 
Captain  Halliard  in  a  low  tone.  "I  heard  your 
mother  say  something  about  it,  when  she  was 
speaking  about  your  being  intimate  with  him.  I 
have  forgotten  about  it." 

44  His  employers  in  Springhaven  thought  that  he 
took  money  from  the  safe." 

44  Exactly  so  ;  that  was  the  idea,"  added  my 
uncle,  rubbing  his  hands  involuntarily. 

44  But  I  don't  think  there  was  any  foundation 
for  the  suspicion,"  I  protested,  rather  faintly,  too 
faintly  to  produce  any  decided  effect. 

44  We  are  not  called  upon  to  try  the  case,"  he  re- 
plied, chuckling  at  his  own  cunning. 


24  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  But  I  don't  wish  to  have  anything  to  say 
about  that  old  affair." 

"  Then  you  needn't  have  anything  to  say  about 
it,  except  to  me.  I  have  begun  to  manage  this 
business,  and  I  shall  finish  it." 

"  I  don't  want  to  injure  Tom  in  the  estimation 
of  any  one,"  I  added. 

"  Don't  be  a  spooney,  Paley.  You  must  look 
out  for  your  own  chances.  You  can  have  this 
place,  if  we  can  get  Tom  off  the  track." 

Although  I  was  not  the  author  of  the  brilliant 
idea  foreshadowed  in  my  uncle's  remarks,  I  per- 
mitted him  to  develop  it.  I  told  him  all  I  knew 
about  Tom's  affair  with  Gorham  &  Welch.  If  I 
stated  that  those  who  knew  anything  about  the 
matter  now  generally  believed  that  the  junior 
partner  was-  the  thief,  I  stated  it  so  mildly  that 
my  uncle  took  no  notice  of  it.  I  confess  that  I 
virtually  assented  to  his  scheme  ;  at  least,  I  offered 
no  decided  opposition  to  it.  I  knew  that  Captain 
Halliard  had  only  to  whisper  the,  fact  that  Tom 
had  been  suspected,  and  had  lost  his  situation  in 
consequence  of  this  suspicion,  to  throw  my  chief 
competitor  out  of  the  field. 

Practically,  I  assented  to  the  scheme  ;  if  I  did 
anything  to  prevent  its  being    carried   into  execu- 


GETTING  A  SITUATION.  25 

tion,  I  only  "  fastened  the  door  with  a  boiled  car- 
rot.1" I  "wanted  the  place,  not  alone  for  its  emol- 
uments, but  in  order,  in  the  race  of  life,  to  sur- 
pass my  friend.  I  regard  this  weak  yielding  as  my 
first  crime  —  the  crime  against  my  friend,  one  of 
the  basest  and  most  loathsome  in  the  calendar  of 
offences.  This  was  my  real  fall;  and  it  was 
this,  it  has  since  seemed  to  me,  which  made  me 
capable  of  all  that  followed. 

I  left  my  uncle  in  the  office,  and  went  back  to 
the  store  in  which  I  was  employed.  Between  the 
bright  vision  of  Miss  Oliphant's  loveliness  and  the 
dark  one  of  my  own  perfidy,  I  was  nervous  and 
uneasy  all  the  rest  of  the  day.  What  was  the 
use  of  being  over  nice  ?  If  I  did  not  look  out  for 
myself,  no  one  would  look  out  for  me  !  I  think  I 
did  not  sleep  an  hour  that  night,  and  the  next 
day  I  performed  my  duties  mechanically.  About 
one  o'clock  I  was  %  rather  startled  to  see  Tom 
Flynn  enter  the  counting-room. 

"Paley,  my  dear  fellow,  I  congratulate  you," 
said  he,  grasping  my  hand. 

"What's  the  matter,  Tom  ?"  I  asked. 

"Why,  haven't  you  heard  of  it  ?" 

"Heard  of  what  ?" 

"You  have  been  appointed  discount  clerk  in  the 


26  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

Forty-ninth  National  Bank.  Ton  my  soul,  I  am 
glad  to  be  the  first  to  tell  you  of  it,"  added  Tom, 
with  enthusiasm,  as  he  rung  my  hand. 

Iniquity  had  prospered,  but  only  for  a  time. 


CHAPTER  II 

MISS   LILIAN  OLEPHANT. 


H 


OW  could  I 
look  Tom 
Flynn  in  the  face, 
after  what  I  had 
done,  or  permitted 
to  be  done  ?  He 
had  been  my  com- 
petitor in  the  race 
for  the  situation  in 
the  bank,  and  probably  would  have  obtained  it  if 
my  uncle  had  not  whispered  the  old  slander  in 
the  ears  of  Mr.  Bristlebach,  the  president.  It  is 
true  this  plan  had  originated  with  Captain  Halliard, 
but  I  consented  to  it,  to  say  the  very  least.  I 
could  have  prevented  him  from  carrying  it  into 
operation.  I  could  have  protested  in  the  strongest 
of  terms  that  there  was  no  truth  in  the  story, 
and  that  I  would  not  take  the  place  if  it  were 
procured  for  me  by  such  a  base  sacrifice  of  honor 
and  integrity.  27 


28  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

I  did  not  do  so.  If  I  protested  at  all,  it  was 
so  faintly  that  my  worldly-minded  uncle  only  re- 
garded it  as  a  piece  of  "buncombe."  It  is  not 
for  me  to  blame  him,  for  I  regard  myself  as  equally 
guilty  of  the  infamous  deed  —  more  guilty,  for 
Tom  was  my  friend.  It  is  a  satisfaction  for  me 
now  to  know  that  I  blushed  when  my  old  school- 
fellow entered  the  counting-room;  and  to  remem- 
ber that  my  conscience  stung  me  like  a  hot  iron 
when  he  informed  me  that  the  situation  had  been 
given  to  me.  It  was  not  the  glorious  triumph 
which  I  had  anticipated,  and  I  could  hardly  felic- 
itate myself  that  I  was  to  step  immediately  into 
the  enjoyment  of  a  salary  of  twelve  hundred  a 
year.  I  could  not  even  enjoy  the  triumph  of  be- 
ing, for  once,  actually  ahead  of  my  fortunate 
friend. 

"  I  congratulate  you,  Paley,  with  all  my  soul," 
said  Tom,  with  enthusiasm.  "  I  should  have  liked 
the  place  myself,  but  I  am  really  better  satisfied 
with  the  result,  than  I  should  have  been  if  I  had 
been  successful." 

"  You  don't  mean  that,  Tom,"  I  suggested ;  and 
I  felt  that  I  was  almost  incapable  of  giving  birth 
to  a  lofty  emotion. 

" '  Pon  my  word,  I  do,  Paley.     I  was   thinking 


MISS  LILIAN  OLIPHANT.  29 

this  forenoon  that,  if  theplace  fell  to  me,  I  should 
reproach  myself  for  haying  stood  in  your  way.  I 
never  should  have  felt  just  right  about  it.  Now 
I  am  satisfied — more  than  satisfied  ;  I  am  delighted 
with  the  result." 

"I  thank  you,  Tom.  I  didn't  expect  any  such 
magnanimity  from  any  person  in  this  world ;  "  but 
I  comforted  myself  with  the  thought  that,  if  the 
place  had  been  assigned  to  him,  he  would  have 
contrived  to  endure  the  disappointment  which  fell 
to  my  lot. 

"  If  I  had  known  that  you  were  an  applicant, 
with  any  chance  of  success,  I  would  not  have  en- 
tered the  field.  But  it  is  all  right  as  it  is;  and 
I  am  as  much  pleased  as  you  are,"  added  Tom. 

"  I  don't  exactly  see  how  I  happened  to  get  the 
place,"  I  replied,  in  order  to  tempt  him  to  tell 
what  he  knew  about  the  canvass,  rather  than  be- 
cause I  was  astonished  at  the  result. 

"  I  do,"  answered  Tom,  laughing.  Your  uncle, 
Captain  Halliard,  has  a  great  deal  of  influence 
with  Mr.  Bristlebach,  the  president.  Rhodes — -you 
know  Rhodes  ?  " 

"  I  know  of  him ;  he's  book-keeper  in  the  Forty- 
ninth  National." 

"  Yes ;  well,    he   says    Captain   Halliard   had   a 


30     '  LIVING  TOO  TAST. 

long  talk  with  Mr.  Bristlebach  this  forenoon.  I 
have  no  doubt  he  made  a  strong  personal  appeal 
for  yon,  and  that  settled  the  case." 

I  should  very  gladly  have  believed  that  I  owed 
my  good  luck  to  the  personal  influence  of  my  un- 
cle, but  I  was  confident  that  he- had  used  that  old 
slander  to  procure  my  appointment.  Tom  left  me 
after  I  had  promised  to  meet  him  at  Mr.  Oli- 
phant's  in  the  evening.  I  was  sad,  and  I  felt 
mean.  I  was  tempted  to  go  to  Mr.  Bristlebach 
and  undo  what  my  uncle  had  done.  I  could  even 
procure  a  letter  from  Mr.  Gorham  testifying  to 
the  integrity  of  Tom.  Alas !  I  had  not  the  cour- 
age to  do  justice  to  my  friend.  A  salary  of  twelve 
hundred  dollars  was  too  glittering  a  prize  to  be 
thrown  away  ;  and  after  all  it  was  possible  that 
Tom  had  been  guilty  —  possible,  but  not  at  all 
probable. 

Before  the  store  closed  I  received  official  notice 
of  my  appointment,  and  informed  my  employers 
of  my  intention  to  leave  them.  They  did  not  say 
much,  and  I  am  not  sure  that  they  were  very 
sorry  to  have  me  go.  I  went  to  my  boarding- 
house,  and  dressed  myself  with  the  utmost  care 
for  the  occasion  in  the  evening.  Miss  Lilian 
Oliphant  was  a  bright  vision   before   my   eyes.     I 


MISS  LILIAN  OLIPHANT.  31 

wondered  that  she  had  been  condescending  enough 
to  notice  a  person  so  insignificant  as  I  was.  I 
was  thinking  only  of  her,  and  as  the  happy  mo- 
ment drew  near  when  I  was  to  see  her  again,  I 
even  forgot  my  own  infamy  towards  Tom. 

Twelve  hundred  a  year!  It  was  an  immense 
sum  for  a  young  fellow  like  me,  and  with  such  a 
foundation  for  an  air-castle,  I  pictured  to  myself 
a  pleasant  home  with  Lilian  as  the  presiding  gen- 
ius of  the  place,  shedding  unutterable  bliss  upon 
my  existence.  Twelve  hundred  dollars  would 
hire  a  house,  furnish  it,  and  enables  me  to  live 
like  a  lord.  If  Lilian  did  dress  well,  if  she  was 
rather  extravagant,  I  could  stand  the  pressure  with 
the  magnificent  income  which  would  be  mine. 

I  was  admitted  to  the  parlor  in  which  the  fam- 
ily were  seated.  Tom  and  two  other  gentlemen 
were  there,  conversing  with  the  young  ladies,  all 
of  whom  were  dressed  elegantly,  and  were  evi- 
dently "  got  up  "  for  the  purpose  of  making  an 
impression.  Miss  Lilian  gave  me  a  cordial  welcome, 
and  introduced  me  to  the  rest  of  the  party.  Mr. 
Oliphant  had  heard  of  my  good  fortune.  He  con- 
gratulated me,  and  did  me  the  honor  to  say  that 
I  should  soon  be  the  cashier  of  the  Forty-ninth 
National  Bank.     I  was  treated  with  distinguished 


32  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

consideration,  and,  without  exactly  knowing  why, 
I  felt  myself  to  be  the  lion  of  the  occasion.  Dis- 
count clerk  of  the  bank,  I  was  a  bigger  man  than 
any  of  the  gentlemen  present. 

Miss  Lilian  was  very  gracious  to  me,  but  I  bore 
my  honors  with  tolerable  meekness.  I  tried  to 
avoid  putting  on  any  airs,  and  I  think  I  produced 
a  favorable  impression.  We  played  whist,  and 
Lilian  was  my  partner ;  I  did  not  do  myself  jus- 
tice, for  I  was  so  fascinated  by  her  loveliness  that 
I  could  not  keep  my  thoughts  about  me,  and 
Tom  and  Miss  Bertha  beat  us  badly.  But  Miss 
Lilian  attributed  our  misfortune  to  ill-luck,  and 
smiled  as  sweetly  as  ever.  I  may  as  well  hasten 
to  the  catastrophe,  and  declare  at  once  that  I  was 
deeply  and  irretrievably  smitten,  as  I  had  intended 
to  be  from  the  first.  She  was  very  kind  to  me,  and 
seemed  to  look  with  a  favorable  eye  upon  me  ; 
but  I  could  not,  of  course,  know  whether  she 
would  accept  me.  I  was  fearful  that  she  would 
require  even  a  bigger  man  than  the  discount  clerk 
of  the  Forty-ninth  National  Bank. 

I  left  the  house  at  eleven  o'clock  with  the  most 
intense  regret.  I  knew  not  how  soon  I  might  see 
her  again,  but  I  ascertained  where  she  went  to 
church,  and  I  went  there  the  very    next   Sunday. 


MISS  LILIAN  OLIPHANT.  33 

It  was  cloudy,  and  she  did  not  appear.  I  was 
sad  and  impatient.  It  seemed  to  me  that  I  must 
see  her  again  soon,  "or  I  should  do  some  desperate 
deed.  I  tried  to  invent  an  excuse  for  calling  at 
her  father's  house  on  Sunday  evening,  but  my  in- 
genuity failed  me.  I  dropped  in  upon  Tom  Flynn, 
and  talked  of  nothing  but  Lilian  Oliphant.  I 
hoped  he  would  take  the  hint,  and  propose  to  call 
upon  her  that  evening,  but  he  would  not ;  in  fact, 
he  was  going  to  a  prayer-meeting,  and  only  in- 
vited me  to  go  there  with  him.  It  was  not  Lilian's 
church,  and  I  did  not  wish  to  go.  It  would  be 
pleasanter  to  walk  on  the  Common  and  think  of 
her,  if  I  could  not  see  her. 

I  did  not  sleep  half  an  hour  that  night.  I  was 
madly,  desperately  in  love  with  Lilian,  and  I  was 
afraid  that  some  young  fellow  with  only  a  thousand 
a  year  might  snap  her  up  while  I  was  waiting  to 
go  through  all  the  forms  of  society  in  decent  and 
conventional  order.  I  was  not  to  take  my  desk 
in  the  bank  till  the  first  day  of  the  new  year,  a 
week  hence,  and  I  induced  my  employers  to  let 
me  off  from  the  last  four  days'  service,  for  the 
reason  that  I  was  so  infatuated  with  Miss  Lilian 
I  could  not  do  anything.  I  Avalked  by  Mr.  Oli- 
phant's  house  twenty  times  a  day,  but  I  had  not 
2 


34  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

the  pluck  to  call.  On  Tuesday  afternoon  I  sent 
her  a  beautiful  bouquet  labelled  "In  memory  of 
a  pleasant  evening.  P.  G."  When  I  had  done 
so,  I  happened  to  think  that  one  of  my  compan- 
ions during  the  pleasant  evening  alluded  to  was 
Paul  Grahame.  It  was  an  awful  blunder  on  my 
part,  for  how  could  she  know  whether  Paul  Gra- 
hame or  Paley  Glasswood  was  the  sender  of  the 
flowers,  which  had  cost  me  five  dollars !  If  Paul, 
who  was  more  intimate  in  the  family  than  I, 
should  happen  to  call  during  the  week,  Lilian, 
under  the  consciousness  that  such  a  pretty  bouquet 
could  come  only  from  a  sincere  admirer,  might 
speak  a  gentle  word  or  bestow  a  loving  smile  upon 
him,  which  would  forever  darken  my  hopes. 

The  situation  looked  desperate,  and  I  must  call 
on  Wednesday,  or  drown  myself  in  the  icy  waters 
off  Long  Wharf  on  Thursday.  Water  below  a 
reasonable  temperature  was  particularly  repugnant 
to  me,  and  I  did  not  relish  the  alternative.  I 
wondered  if  she  would  be  glad  to  see  me. 
I  tried  to  determine  whether  her  gracious  de- 
meanor towards  me  during  that  important  even- 
ing had  been  dictated  by  mere  politeness,  or  by  a 
genuine  interest  in  me.  I  was  vain  enough  to 
flatter  myself  that  I  had  made  an  impression  upon 


MISS  LILIAN  OLIPHANT.  35 

her  gushing  heart.  In  my  native  town  I  had 
been  accounted  a  good-looking  fellow,  as  revealed 
to  me  through  sundry  "  compliments."  I  thought 
I  was  not  bad  looking,  and  I  consulted  my  mir- 
ror on  this  momentous  question.  The  result  was 
satisfactory,  and  I  was  quite  willing  to  believe 
that  Miss  Lilian  ought  to  be  pardoned  for  feeling 
an  interest  in  me. 

On  Wednesday  afternoon  I  walked  by  her 
father's  house  seven  times,  and  probably  I  should 
have  passed  it  seven  times  more,  if  on  the  eighth 
I  had  not  seen  Lilian  at  the  window.  The  stars 
favored  me.  The  dear  divinity  saw  me ;  she 
smiled,  she  bowed  to  me,  and  I  thought  she 
blushed.  Whether  she  did  or  not,  I  blushed,  and 
the  die  was  cast.  The  thrilling  glance  the  fair 
being  bestowed  upon  me  inspired  me  with  a  res- 
olution equal  to  the  occasion.  I  rushed  to  the 
door,  and  before  I  had  time  to  change  my  purpose, 
I  rang  the  bell. 

I  was  admitted.  I  asked  for  Miss  Lilian  Oli- 
phant,  and  was  shown  into  the  parlor  in  which 
she  was  seated.  My  heart  throbbed  like  the  beat- 
ings of  the  ocean  in  a  tempest,  and  my  face  felt 
as  if  a  blast  of  fire  had  swept  over  it ;  but  I  sur- 
vived.    I  was  more  than  fascinated ;  I  was  infat- 


36  •  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

k 
uated  with  the  fair  being   before  me.     I   am  free 
to  say  that  no  such  vision  of  loveliness   was   ever 
realized  before  or  since  in  my  experience. 

"  This  is  a  very  unexpected  pleasure,  Mr.  Glass- 
wood,"  said  she,  more  self-possessed    than   I    was. 

"I'beg  your  pardon  for  calling,"  I   stammered. 

"I'm  sure  you  needn't  do  that,  for  I'm  very 
glad  to  see  you,  sir,"  she  replied,  kindly  helping 
me  out. 

"I  didn't  —  really — I  thought  —  it's  a  beautiful 
day,  Miss  Oliphant." 

"  Splendid  day !  "  laughed  she  ;  but  I  saw  that 
she  was  beginning  to  be  embarrassed. 

I  ventured  to  hint  that  I  had  spent  a  very  pleasant 
evening  at  her  house  on  the  preceding  Friday ; 
and  she  was  kind  enough  to  say  she  had  enjoyed 
it  very  much,  and  hoped  I  would  call  again  soon 
with  my  friend",  Tom  Flynn,  and  have  another 
game  of  whist. 

"  I  played  so  badly  then  that  I  shall  hardly 
dare  to  try  again,"  I  replied.  I  was — really,  I 
was  —  " 

"  What  ?"  she  asked,  when  I  broke  down  com- 
pletely. 

"  I  was  going  to  say  that  I  usually  play  better, 
but  something  disturbed  me  that  evening   so   that 


MISS  LILIAN  OLIPHANT.  37 

I  was  not  myself;"  and  I  fixed  my  loving  gaze 
upon  the  threadbare  carpet  at  my  feet. 

»  Why,  what  was  the  matter  with  you?  "  laughed 
the  vision  of  loveliness  before  me. 

"  I  don't  know,  but  I  didn't  seem  to  have  the 
command  of  my  faculties." 

"  Then  you  must  come  again  and  redeem  your 
reputation,  if  you  feel  that  you  did  not  do  your- 
self justice." 

"  Thank  you  !  When  shall  I  come  ?  "  I  asked 
eagerly. 

"  As  soon  as  you  please." 

"  If  it  were  as  soon  as  I  pleased,  it  would  be 
this  very  evening,"  I  added  with  a  boldness  which 
absolutely  confounded  me. 

"  Do  come  this  evening  then.  We  can  make 
up  a  set  without  any  other   help." 

Why  didn't  she  say  something  about  that  bou- 
quet, and  thus  enable  me  to  advance  a  step  nearer 
to  the  conquest.  She  did  not,  and  I  was  afraid 
the  five  dollar  trifle  had  been  placed  to  the  credit 
of  Paul  Grahame.  I  went  away,  but  I  hastened  to 
the  florist's  and  bought  another  bouquet — price 
seven  dollars.  On  the  card  I  wrote,  "  In  mem- 
ory of  a  pleasant  call.  P.  G******d."  She  could 
not  make  Grahame  out  of  that. 


38  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

Early  in  the  evening  I  rang  the  bell,  and  was 
ushered  into  the  parlor.  On  the  piano  was  my 
bouquet,  and  near  it  stood  Lilian,  who,  as  I  en- 
tered the  room,  was  in  the  act  of  inhaling  its  fra- 
grance. I  think  she  blushed  a  little  when  she 
saw  me. 

"  What  a  beautiful  bouquet !  "  she  exclaimed 
with  rapture,  after  the  preliminary  formalities  had 
been  disposed  of.  "I  am  very  grateful  to  you 
Mr.  Glass  wood,  for  this  kind  remembrancer." 

"  O,  not  at  all;  it  was  the  best  I  could  find, 
but  it  is  altogether   unworthy.'* 

"Why,  it  is  positively  lovely!  It  is  beautiful, 
delicious.  My  friends  are  very  kind.  It  was  only 
the  other  day  that  Mr.  Grahame  sent  me  one,  but 
it  was  not  so  pretty  as  this  one.'* 

"  Did  he,  indeed?  "  I  asked. 

"  How  stupid  I  am !  Why  it  was  you  Mr. 
Glasswood.  I  interpreted  the  initials  as  those  of 
his  name." 

Miss  Lilian  looked  upon  the  floor,  and  her  chest 
heaved  with  emotion  that  agitated  me  more  than 
her.  I  fancied  it  was  all  right — and  it  was.  I 
played  whist,  and  the  old  gentleman  and  one  of 
the  other  daughters  beat  us  worse  than  before.  I 
trumped  my  partner's  tricks,  and  put  my  ace  upon 


MISS  LILIAN  OLIPHANT.  39 

her  king.  But  I  consoled  myself  with  the  re- 
flection that  she  must  be  thinking  of  something 
else,  or  she  would  not  so  often  have  played  the 
king  before  the  ace  was  out.  We  played  a  double 
game,  of  which  whist  was  the  less  important; 
but  we  played  into  each  other's  hands,  and  won 
the  game  in  which  hearts  were  trumps,  if  we  lost 
on  all  other  suits. 

I  ought  to  have  gone  home  at  ten  o'clock,  but 
I  staid  till  half-past  eleven.  I  was  cordially  in- 
vited to  come  again,  and  I  may  say  I  went  again, 
until  my  visits  included  every  evening  in  the 
week,  not  excepting  Saturday  and  Sunday,  when 
all  but  "  fiddlers  and  fools  "  stay  at  home.  Be- 
fore the  snows  melted  we  were  engaged. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  *iew  year  I  took  my 
place  in  the  bank.  It  looked  to  me  then  like  a 
bed  of  roses ;  I  have  since  found  it  to  be  a  bed  of 
thorns  ;  though  I  ought  to  add  that  I  made  it  so 
myself.  I  knew  the  routine  of  bank  business  tol- 
erably well,  though  I  had  much  to  learn.  I  tried 
to  discharge  my  duties  faithfully,  and  though  Mr. 
Bristlebach,  the  president,  was  a  hard  man,  I  won 
even  his  approval.  I  need  not  dwell  on  this  sea- 
son of  happiness,  for  as  I  look  back  upon  it,  I 
appreciate  it ;  I  could  not  then. 


40  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

My  services  were  so  satisfactory  that  when  our 
paying  teller  was  promoted  to  a  higher  place  in 
another  institution,  I  was  advaDced  to  his  situa- 
tion with  a  salary  of  eighteen  hundred  dollars, 
and  a  promise  of  an  additional  two  hundred  if  I 
proved  to  be  competent  to  discharge  the  duties  of 
the  office.  My  uncle  and  others  were  my  bonds- 
men. Never  did  a  young  man  look  forward  to  a 
brighter  future  than  I  did.  . 

Every  evening  in  the  week  I  went  to  Mr.  Oli- 
phant's  and  was  treated  as  one  of  the  family. 
During  the  year  I  had  been  paying  assiduous 
court  to  my  beautiful  charmer.  I  spent  all  my 
salary,  and  more  than  all,  for  I  was  in  debt  at 
the  end  of  this  time.  I  wore  good- clothes,  for  I 
wished  Lilian  to  be  proud  of  me  ;  I  sent  her  bou- 
quets, I  took  her  to  the  theatre,  the  opera,  the 
concerts,  and  to  balls  and  parties,  a  single  one  of 
which  in  some  instances,  spoiled  a  twenty  dollar 
bill.  I  took  her  out  to  ride,  and  paid  for  many 
costly  suppers.  But  Lilian  appeared  to  love  me 
with  all  her  soul,  and  I  was  satisfied. 

I  had  found  the  end  of  my  twelve  hundred  dol- 
lars so  easily  that  I  dared  not  think  of  getting 
married;  but  my  promotion  decided  me.  Lilian 
offered  no  unreasonable  objections,  neither  did  her 


MISS  LILIAN  OLIPHANT.  \\ 

parents,  and  the  happy  day  was  fixed.  *  Tom 
Flynn,  who  had  taken  my  place  as  discount  clerk 
in  the  Forty-ninth  National,  was  to  stand  up  with 
me.  Somewhat  oddly,  as  it  seemed  to  me,  my 
good  friend  advised  me  not  to  marry,  and  we 
almost  quarrelled  over  some  plain  talking  which 
he  did.  The  die  was  cast ;  I  would  not  have  re- 
treated if  I  could.. 


CHAPTER    III. 

GOING-   TO    HOUSEKEEPING. 

I  was  married  in  the  spring,  and  the  bank  gave 
me  my  vacation  on  the  joyous  occasion,  so  that  I 
was  enabled  to  make  a  bridal  tour  of  ten  days  to 
the  South.  I  went  to  Philadelphia,  Baltimore 
and  Washington,  and  while  I  distinctly  recollect 
that  I  enjoyed  myself  exceedingly,  and  traveled 
like  a  prince,  I  can  more  vividly  recall  the  rapidi- 
ty with  which  my  funds  were  expended.  It  had 
cost  me  all  my  salary  to  pay  my  board  and  to 
take  Miss  Lilian  to  the  opera  and  the  balls,  but 
I  could  not  afford  to  deprive  Mrs.  Glass  wood  of 
any  luxury. 

Before  we  started  I  was  "  hard  up,"  and  I 
tried  to  contrive  some  clever  expedient  by  which 
the  bridal  tour  might  be  dispensed  with.  I  sug- 
gested to  Lilian  that  the  journey  was  not  abso- 
lutely necessary ;  that  some  very  "  nobby  "  people 
staid  at  home  after  they  were  married.  Her  chin 
dropped  down  as  though  a  ten  pound  weight  had 
been  attached  to  it,    and  she    looked    so  sad    and 

42 


GOING  TO  HOUSEKEEPING.  43 

gloomy  that  I  could  not  think  for  a  moment  longer 
of  depriving  her  of  this  triumphal  march,  for 
so  I  am  afraid  she  regarded  it.  Of  course  I  did 
not  hint  to  her  that  I  could  not  afford  to  spend 
two  or  three  hundred  dollars  in  travelling,  for  we 
were  still  lovingly  cheating  each  other  into  the 
belief  that  she  was  a  princess  and  I  was  a  repre- 
sentative of  Croesus   himself. 

There  was  not  a  dollar  to  my  credit  at  the 
hank,  and  I  had  not  a  dollar  to  my  credit  any- 
where else.  I  was  fretful  one  day,  and  unguard- 
edly mentioned  to  Tom  Flynn  that  I  was  short. 
The  generous  fellow  promptly  offered  to  lend  me 
a  hundred  dollars.  I  am  surprised  now  that  I 
was  able  to  accept  it,  but  I  did,  and  he  put  my 
"value  received"  into  his  wallet  as  choicely  as 
though  it  had  been  as  good  as  the  gold  itself. 
But  a  hundred  dollars,  though  Tom  seemed  to 
think  it  would  pay  for  every  thing  which  it  could 
possibly  enter  into  the  head  of  a  groom  to 
procure,  was  expended  in  trifles  and  before  we 
were  ready  to  start  upon  the  bridal  tour  I  was 
penniless  again. 

I  wanted  three  hundred  dollars,  for  it  would 
not  be  safe  to  start  on  a  ten-days'  trip  attended 
by   such    a    helpmate    as    Lilian    with    less    than 


44  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

this  sum  in  my  pocket.  First  class  hotels,  pri- 
vate parlors,  carriages,  the  opera  in  New  York, 
would  make  large  demands  upon  my  purse.  I 
was  rather  sorry  that  Tom  Flynn  had  offered  to 
lend  me  a  hundred  dollars,  for  if  he  had  not  done  so 
I  should  have  asked  him  to  favor  me  with  the  loan 
I  now  needed.  I  could  not  ask  him,  after  what 
he  had  done.  My  uncle,  Captain  Halliard  was  a 
rich  man,  though  he  was  a  calculating  and  a  care- 
ful one.  I  had  been  a  favorite  of  his  in  my  ear- 
lier years,  and  I  knew  that  he  had  a  great  deal 
of  regard  for  the  honor  of  the  family.  I  had 
hardly  seen  him  since  he  helped  me  into  my  situ- 
ation, for  he  had  been  on  a  business  mission  to 
Europe. 

Three  hundred  dollars  was  nothing  to  a  man  of 
his  resources,  and,  with  some  sacrifice  of  pride  on 
my  part,  I  made  up  my  mind  to  wait  upon  him 
with  my  request.  He  would  understand  the  case, 
and  readily  see  that  a  young  man  about  to  be 
married  must  incur  a  great  many  extraordinary 
expenses,  and  it  would  not  be  at  all  strange  that 
he  was  temporarily  "short."  I  found  the  worthy, 
old  gentleman  in  the  insurance  office,  up  to  his 
eyes  in  the  news  of  the  day.  I  talked  with  him 
for  some  time  about    indifferent  topics,  about    my 


I  call  upon  my  Uncle.     Page  45. 


GOING  TO  HOUSEKEEPING.  45 

mother's  health  and  the  affairs  of  Springhaven. 
Then  I  rose  to  depart,  in  the  most  natural  man- 
ner in  the  world  though  I  was  rather  grieved  to 
see  that  he  was  not  sorry  to  have  me  go  ;  in  fact, 
he  returned  to  his  newspaper  with  an  eagerness 
which  seemed  to  intimate  that  I  had  bored  him. 
I  took  a  few  steps  towards  the  door,  and  then,  as 
though  I  had  forgotten  something,  I  hastily 
retraced  my  steps. 

4 'By  the  way,  uncle — I'm  sorry  to  trouble  you, 
but  —  could  you  lend  me  three  hundred  dollars 
for  a  few  weeks  ?  " 

"  Three  hundred  dollars !  "  exclaimed  the  vener- 
able seeker  after  the  main  chance,  just  as  though 
I  had  attacked  him  in  the  tenderest  part  of  his 
being. 

"  The  fact  is,  uncle,  getting  married  in  these 
times  is  an  expensive  luxury,  and  I  find  myself  a 
little  short,  though,  of  course,  I  shall  be  all  right 
as  soon  as  I  get  settled  down." 

"It's  rather  a  bad  sign  for  a  young  man  to 
have  to  borrow  money  to  get  married  with,"  he 
added  with  a  glance  of  severe  dignity  at  me. 

"  Never  mind  it,  uncle.  I  won't  trouble  you, 
then,  if  it  is  not  convenient,"  I  replied,  in  a 
thoroughly  off-hand    manner,  as   though  the  little 


46  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

favor  I  asked  was  of  more  consequence  to  him 
than  to  me.  "  I  shall  expect  to  see  you  at  the 
house  of  Mr.  Oliphant  at  the  ceremony,  and  re- 
member the  levee  is  at  eight  o'clock.  Don't  fail 
to  be  there,  uncle." 

"  Stop  a  minute !  I  suppose  if  you  need  three 
hundred  dollars,  I  can  let  you  have  it,"  he  added. 

uO,  it  is  of  no  consequence.  Don't  trouble 
yourself.  ,Two  or  three  of  my  friends  wanted  to 
lend  it  to  me,  but  I  did  not  exactly  like  to  accept 
such  a  favor  outside  of  the  family.  Aunt  Rachel, 
I  dare  say,  will  be  glad  to  accommodate  me." 

"  Write  a  note,"  said  he,  rather  crustily,  as  he 
went  to  one  of  the  desks,  and  drew  a  check  for 
the  amount  I  required. 

I  could  not  help  smiling,  as  I  wrote  the  due 
bill,  to  think  of  the  address  with  which  I  had 
managed  my  case.  I  am  confident  if  I  had  whined 
and  begged  until  the  sun  went  down,  he  would 
have  been  hard  enough  to  refuse  me.  Possibly  he 
did  not  like  to  have  me  apply  to  Aunt  Rachel. 
She  was  a  maiden  sister  of  my  father  who  had 
about  twenty  thousand  dollars  and  lived  with  my 
mother.  Her  inheritance  had  been  the  same  as 
my  father's,  but,  having  no  expenses,  she  had  kept 
certain  lands  in  the  middle   of  the  town    till  they 


GOING  TO  HOUSEKEEPING.  47 

increased  in  value  so  that  she  was  made  independ- 
ent. As  I  wished  to  be  her  heir,  I  had  always 
treated  her  with  the  utmost  consideration.  Cap- 
tain Halliard  managed  some  stocks  for  her,  and  he 
was  anxious  to  keep  in  her  good  graces. 

I  put  the  check  in  my  pocket  with  the  utmost 
nonchalance,  and  again  begging  my  uncle  not  to 
fail  to  be  present  at  the  ceremony,  I  left  him. 
It  was  all  right  with  me  for  the  present.  When 
I  started  on  my  bridal  tour  I  owed  about  six  hun- 
dred dollars,  which  I  calculated  that  I  could 
easily  pay  off  in  six  months  with  my  increased 
salary.  When  we  returned  from  Washington  I 
had  barely  money  enough  left  to  pay  the  hack- 
man  for  conveying  us  to  the  house  of  my  wife's 
father.  If  I  had  not  been  so  cautious  as  to  count 
up  my  money,  and  estimate  the  expenses  of  the 
return  trip,  I  should  have  exhausted  my  exchequer 
before  we  reached  home.  When  I  found  I  had 
just  enough  left  to  pay  these  expenses,  I  told 
Lilian  that  I  had  received  a  letter  which  com- 
pelled me  to  return  immediately,  though  we  had 
intended  to  stay  two  days  longer. 

She  pouted,  but  I  told  her  I  should  lose  my 
situation  if  I  did  not  go  back.  She  thought  I 
might  get  another  situation   rather  than  break  up 


48  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

the  pleasant  excursion  so  abruptly.  I  told  her  I 
could  easily  get  another  situation,  but  it  was  not 
exactly  prudent  to  give  up  one  until  the  other 
was  obtained.  It  almost  broke  my  heart  to  cross 
her  in  anything,  and  if  I  could  have  met  a  friend 
good-natured  enough  to  lend  me  a  hundred  dol- 
lars I  might  have  been  spared  the  annoyance.  I 
met  no  such  friend,  and  we  went  on  cheating 
each  other  as  before.  It  was  stupid  in  me  to  do 
so,  but  I  had  not  the  courage  to  tell  her  that  I 
was  not  made  of  money,  and  I  permitted  her  to 
believe  that  my  pockets  were   still  well  lined. 

We  returned  home,  but  on  the  way  I  was 
obliged  to  pretend  that  I  was  sick,  in  order  to 
save  the  expense  of  supper  aboard  the  steamer. 
We  had  dined  at  four  o'clock,  and  though  it  was 
absurd  to  eat  again  at  six,  Lilian  wanted  to  see 
who  were  at  the  tables;  but  my  pretended  ill- 
ness saved  me,  and,  what  was  more  important, 
saved  the  two  dollars  for  the  hack  hire  in  Boston. 

"  What  shall  we  do  when  we  get  home  ?  "  asked 
Lilian,  as  we  sat  that  evening  in  the  cabin  of  the 
steamer. 

"  We  shall  live  on  love  for  years  to  come,"  I 
replied,  with  enthusiasm. 

"  Of  course  we  shall  do  that,"  she  added ;    but 


GOING  TO  HOUSEKEEPING.  49 

I  thought  she  did  not  seem  to  be  exactly  pleased 
with  the  diet.     "  Shall  we  board  or  keep  house  ?  " 

"  Which  do  you  prefer,  my  dear  Lilian  ? "  I 
asked,  for  though  we  had  discussed  this  question 
before,  she  had  not  been  able  to  make  up  her 
mind. 

"If  we  can  board  at  the  Revere  House,  or  at 
Mrs.  Peecksmith's  in  Beacon  street,  I  would  rather 
board." 

"It  would  not  be  possible  to  obtain  such  rooms 
as  would  suit  us  at  the  Revere  House  at  this  sea- 
son of  the  year ;  and  I  heard  a  gentleman  in 
Washington  say  that  Mrs.  Peecksmith  had  not  a 
single  apartment  unoccupied. " 

"  How  provoking  !  " 

It  was  provoking,  but  I  had  to  invent  my  ex- 
cuses as  I  went  along.  I  did  not  venture  to  sug- 
gest that  my  entire  salary  would  not  pay  the  ex- 
penses of  boarding  at  either  of  the  places  she 
named.  I  was  too  weak  and  vain  to  tell  her  the 
truth.  I  deceived  her.  She  had  no  knowledge  of 
the  world,  no  experience  of  the  value  of  money, 
for  her  poor  father  had  actually  ruined  himself  in 
a  vain  attempt  to  keep  up  the  style  of  living  he 
had  enjoyed  in  more  prosperous  days.  Nearly  all 
his  profits  went  upon  the  backs  of  his  daughters, 
4 


50  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

each  of  whom  had  been  taught  to  believe  that  a 
husband,  when  interpreted,  was  money.  I  did 
nothing  to  disturb  the  illusion. 

"I  think  we  must  find  a  place  to  board  for  a 
few  weeks,  till  we  can  get  a  house,  and  then  we 
will  go  to  housekeeping,  "  I  suggested. 

"We  must  go  to  housekeeping  if  we  can't  get 
rooms  at  the  Revere,  or  at  Mrs.  Peecksmith's,  " 
added  Lilian.  "  But  dear  ma  will  take  us  to 
board  for  a  time ;  and  really  I  could  not  think  of 
going  anywhere  else. " 

We  went  to  "  dear  ma's,  "  and  after  I  had  paid 
the  hackman,  I  had  just  twenty-five  cents  left  in 
my  pocket.  "Dear  ma"  was  willing  to  take  us 
to  board  for  a  time,  under  the  circumstances, 
though  it  would  be  a  great  inconvenience  to  her. 
She  would  not  think  of  taking  anybody  else,  though 
she  had  plenty  of  house  room.  I  ventured  to  hint 
that,  as  a  prudent  man,  I  should  like  to  know 
what  the  terms  would  be,  though  really  it  did  not 
make  the  least  difference  to  me,  in  point  of  fact. 
"Dear  ma"  did  not  like  to  speak  of  such  things; 
she  was  going  to  take  us  simply  as  a  matter  of 
accommodation  —  "under  the  circumstances." 

"  Of  course,  Mrs.  Oliphant,  I  understand  you, 
and  I  am  very  grateful  for  the   sacrifice   you  pro- 


GOING   TO  HOUSEKEEPING.  51 

pose  to  make ;  but  it  is  always  well  to  have  things 
clearly  set  forth,"  I  replied,  mildly. 

"  Certainly  it  is.  I  always  believe  in  having 
things  in  black  and  white.  I  suppose  it  would 
cost  you  fifty  dollars  a  week  to  board  at  Mrs. 
Peecksmith's ;  but  I  should  not  think  of  charging 
you  that,"  she  continued,  with  a  benevolent  smile. 

"  Gracious !  I  should  hope  not,"  I  mentally 
ejaculated,  for  at  the  Beacon  Street  house  the 
boarders  walked  on  Wilton  carpets,  looked  out 
through  windows  decked  with  velvet  draperies, 
slept  upon  rosewood  bedsteads,  and  had  seven 
courses  at  dinner,  while  Mr.  Oliphant's  house  was 
an  old  one,  its  furniture  worn  out  and  dilapidated, 
its  carpets  threadbare,  and  the  fare  —  when  they 
had  no  extra  company — below  the  grade  of  a 
cheap  boarding-house.  If  I  had  not  loved  Lilian 
with  all  my  soul,  I  should  have  deemed  it  a  char- 
ity to  take  her  off  her  parents'  hands.  As  it  was, 
she  was  cheap  at  any  price. 

"  Whatever  you  say  will  be  all  right,"  I  re- 
plied. "  I  am  getting  a  handsome  salary  now, 
and  I  am  willing  to  pay  a  fair  price." 

"  I  think  thirty  dollars  a  week  would  be  no 
more  than  the  cost  to  us.  Of  course  I  don't  ex- 
pect you  to  pay  anything  near  what  it  would  cost 
at  Mrs.  Peecksmith's." 


52  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

Whew!  I  could  board  at  a  house  only  one 
grade  below  Beacon  Street  for  twenty.  I  expected 
she  would  say  ten,  or  at  the  most  fifteen  dollars, 
but,  poor  "  dear  ma !"  I  suppose  she  needed  the 
money  to  deck  out  the  next  daughter  for  the  sac- 
rifice. I  could  not  object.  It  was  all  in  the  fam- 
ily ;  but  I  determined  to  find  a  house  with  all 
possible  dispatch. 

I  went  to  the  bank  and  took  my  place.  I  flat- 
ter myself  that  I  was  smart,  for  I  won  the  appro- 
bation of  even  Mr.  Bristlebach.  I  made  no  mis- 
takes. I  was  not  nervous.  When  I  drew  my 
month's  salary  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars, 
all  but  about  twenty  dollars  of  it  went  into  the 
purse  of  "  dear  ma,"  for  board  which  would  have 
been  high  at  ten  dollars  a  week.  Though  Lilian 
complained  of  the  accommodations,  she  said  noth- 
ing about  housekeeping.  I  made  some  inquiries, 
and  found  I  could  board  better  for  half  the  price 
I  was  paying.  I  then  said  something  about  engag- 
ing rooms  nearer  to  the  bank.  My  dear  wife 
protested.  She  could  not  leave  "  dear  ma's," 
where  she  had  all  the  comforts  of  a  home,  and 
was  in  her  own  family.  I  saw  that  she  was  a 
party  to  the  swindle;  that  "dear  ma"  had  in- 
structed her  what  to  do  and  what  to  say. 


GOING  TO  HOUSEKEEPING.  53 

My  home  was  no  home  at  all,  and  I  was  deter- 
mined to  leave  it  before  I  had  another  month's 
board  to  pay.  To  stay  any  longer  would  be  ruin. 
My  twenty  dollars'  surplus  would  pay  for  only  a 
few  concerts  and  rides,  and  in  less  than  a  fort- 
night I  was  penniless  again.  My  debts  began  to 
trouble  me.  One  day  Captain  Halliard  wanted  to 
know  if  he  had  not  lent  me  three  hundred  dol- 
lars for  a  few  weeks.  I  assured  him  he  had,  and 
that  I  intended  to  pay  him  in  a  few  days.  Tom 
Flynn  hinted  that  he  was  short,  though  he  did 
not  directly  say  he  wanted  his  money.  My  tailor 
was  becoming  slightly  unreasonable,  and  the  keeper 
of  a  livery  stable  stupidly  insisted  upon  being 
paid,  and  even  had  the  audacity  to  refuse  to  trust 
me  for  any  more  teams. 

It  would  not  do  for  me  to  have  these  importu- 
nate creditors  coming  into  the  bank  to  see  me. 
The  president  and  the  cashier  would  be  alarmed 
if  they  discovered  that  the  paying  teller  was  in 
debt.  But  trying  as  these  duns  were,  they  were 
insignificant  compared  with  the  annoyances  which 
I  endured  at  "  dear  ma's."  Lilian  hinted,  and 
then  insisted,  that  I  should  refurnish  our  room  at 
my  own  expense.  I  told  her  I  would  think  of  it, 
and  went  out  to  walk  after   dinner.     I   did  think 


54  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

of  it ;  and  thought  I  would  not  do  it.  Strange  as 
it  may  seem,  "  dear  ma  "  was  absolutely  becoming 
disagreeable  to  me,  and  I  wondered  how  such  an 
angel  as  Lilian  could  have  been  born  of  such  a 
designing  woman  as  I  found  her  mother  to  be. 

I  stumbled  upon  a  friend  who  had  been  to  look 
at  a  house.  It  was  a  splendid  little  place,  but 
not  quite  large  enough  for  him,  and  the  rent  was 
only  six  hundred  dollars  a  year.  I  went  with  him 
to  see  it.  It  looked  like  a  fairy  palace  to  me,  and 
was  just  the  size  I  wanted.  It  was  an  English 
basement  house,  three  stories  high.  I  went  to  see 
the  owner.  Another  man  had  just  left  it,  and 
meant  to  take  the  house,  but  he  must  first  con- 
sult his  wife.  If  I  stopped  to  consult  mine,  I 
should  lose  it,  and  I  closed  with  him  on  the  in- 
stant, regarding  myself  as  the  luckiest  fellow 
in  the  world. 

Lilian  would  be  delighted  with  it ;  there  could 
be  no  doubt  of  that.  What  a  magnificent  sur- 
prise it  would  be  to  her,  if  I  could  take  her  in, 
after  it  was  all  furnished !  Stupid  as  the  idea 
may  seem  to  lady  housekeepers,  I  was  so  enamored 
of  my  plan  that  I  determined  to  put  it  into 
operation.  I  was  satisfied  we  could  live  in  this 
gem  of  a  house  for  less  than  I  paid  for  board,  and 
live  in  much  better  style. 


GOING  TO  HOUSEKEEPING.  55 

The  idea  of  a  surprise  to  Lilian  was  delightful 
to  me,  and  I  laid  out  the  plan  in  detail ;  hut  the 
first  thing  was  to  provide  the  funds.  Then  my 
jaw  dropped  down.  I  owed  over  six  hundred 
dollars  to  certain  restless  creditors ;  but  I  could 
save  money  by  going  to  housekeeping,  and  my 
duty  to  them  required  that  I  should  do  so.  I  had 
not  yet  troubled  Aunt  Rachel,  and  taking  Lilian 
with  me,  I  went  down  to  Springhaven  to  spend 
the  Fourth  of  July,  ostensibly  to  escape  the  noise 
and  dust  of  the  city,  but  really  to  lay  siege  to 
my  venerable  aunt's  purse  strings. 

The  only  thing  that  was  likely  to  defeat  me 
was  the  fact  that  Aunt  Rachel  did  not  like 
my  wife,  for  Lilian,  who  regarded  the  worthy  spin- 
ster as  an  "  old  fuss,  "  had  not  always  been  as 
prudent  in  her  presence  as  I  could  have  wished. 
But  I  caught  my  aunt  alone  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  for  the  noise  of  fire-crackers  had  driven 
the  old  creature  from  her  bed  at  an  unwonted 
hour.  I  played  my  cards  with  all  the  skill  of 
which  I  was  master.  She  not  only  gave  me  the 
money,  a  thousand  dollars,  which  she  had  "  salted 
down  "  in  the  house  for  fear  all  the  banks  would 
break,  but  she  promised  to  keep  my  secret.  She 
declared  that  Lilian    was   too    extravagant    for    a 


56  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

young  man  like  me,  and  I  explained  that  I  wished 
to  furnish  the  house  without  her  knowledge,  so  as 
to  save  expense.  She  commended  my  good  mo- 
tive, and  I  returned  to  the  city  with  a  thousand 
dollars  in  my  pocket,  to  furnish  the  English  base- 
ment house. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    ENGLISH   BASEMENT   HOUSE. 

A  THOUSAND  dollars  in  cash  was  more  than 
I  had  ever  before  possessed  at  one  time.  I 
felt  like  a  rich  man,  for  the  shadow  of  the  six  hun- 
dred dollars  which  I  owed  did  not  offensively  obtrude 
itself  upon  me.  I  could  hardly  conceal  my  ex- 
hilaration from  Lilian,  but  I  was  so  intent  upon 
giving  her  a  grand  surprise  that  I  kept  the  great 
secret,  and  preserved  a  forced  calmness.  I  had 
made  very  careful  estimates  of  the  cost  of  living 
in  my  new  palace  —  I  thought  they  were  very 
careful  —  and  I  was  fully  satisfied  that  I  should 
save  one-third  of  my  present  expenses. 

My  column  of  figures,  after  I  had  thought  of 
every  possible  expense  that  could  be  incurred  in 
the  course  of  the  week,  footed  up  at  a  trifle 
over  twenty  dollars  a  week,  but  I  was  entirely 
convinced  that  I  should  bring  the  actual  below  the 
estimated  expense.  From  the  first  of  July  my 
salary  was  to  be  two  thousand  a  year,  or  about 
thirty-eight  dollars  and  a  half  a   week.      I    could 

57 


58  LIVING  TOO  FAST, 

therefore  let  my  expenses  go  up  to  twenty-five 
dollars  a  week  without  upsetting  the  argument. 

Then  I  allowed  three  hundred  a  year  for  cloth- 
ing my  wife  and  myself,  and  for  incidental  ex- 
penses. In  our  beautiful  home  we  should  not 
care  to  ride  and  go  to  concerts  and  theatres  much, 
and  both  of  us  were  well  supplied  with  cloth- 
ing. I  deemed  the  sum  appropriated  as  amply 
sufficient.  At  this  rate  I  could  pay  off  my 
debts  in  a  year  and  a  half,  and  be  square  with 
the  world.  Until  this  was  done,  I  intended  to 
hold  myself  to  a  most  rigid  economy.  I  must 
even  contrive  some  way  to  let  Lilian  know  that 
I  could  not  spend  money  so  freely  as  I  had  done, 
but  I  could  promise  her  that,  when  my  debts 
were  paid,  she  should  have  every  thing  she 
wanted. 

I  was  perfectly  satisfied.  My  prudential  calcu- 
tions  set  me  all  right  with  myself  and  with  the 
rest  of  mankind.  The  vision  of  the  English  base- 
ment house,  all  finished  and  furnished,  with  Lilian 
sitting  in  state  in  the  little  boudoir  of  a  parlor, 
was  my  castle  in  the  air  for  the  present.  I  was 
very  cheerful  and  light  hearted,  and  went  to  my 
daily  duties  at  the  bank  with  an  alacrity  I  had 
never  before  felt.      I  told  Lilian  I   should  not  be 


THE  ENGLISH  BASEMENT  HOUSE.  59 

at  home  to  dinner  that  day.  When  she  wanted  to 
know  why,  I  said  something  about  bank  commis- 
sioners, and  was  afraid  I  should  be  detained  un- 
til a  late  hour.  She  kissed  me  as  usual  when  I 
left  her,  and  even  "dear  ma"  looked  so  very 
amiable,  that  I  was  afraid  she  would  kiss  me  too. 
But  she  did  not,  and  my  heart  smote  me  as  I 
thought  of  the  treason  I  was  meditating  against  her 
and  the  two  unmarried  daughters. 

I  ought  to  say  here,  in  justice  to  myself,  that 
these  two  sisters  of  my  wife  were  a  heavy  burden 
upon  me,  independently  of  the  thirty  dollars  a 
week  I  paid  for  my  board;  for  if  Lilian  and  I 
proposed  to  go  to  a  concert,  to  the  theatre  or  the 
opera,  it  was  somehow  contrived  that  one  or  both 
of  them  should  join  the  party.  My  wife  reasoned 
that  a  carriage  would  cost  no  more  for  four  than 
for  two,  and  the  paltry  expense  of  the  tickets  was 
all  the  additional  outlay  I  incurred,  while  it  was 
such  a  pleasure  for  the  sisters  to  go.  Then  I 
could  just  as  well  purchase  three  pairs  of  white 
kids  as  one  —  Mrs.  Oliphant  would  pay  me  for 
them.  I  must  do  her  the  justice  to  say  that  she 
always  offered  to  do  so,  but,  as  it  was  "  all  in  the 
family,  "  I  was  too  magnificent  to  stoop  to  such 
trifles ;    and  I  know  that  she  would  have   consid- 


60 


LIVING  TOO  FAST. 


ered  me  mean  if  I  had  accepted  the  paltry  dollars. 
I  went  to  the  bank  with  the  thousand  dollars  in 
my  pocket.  I  intended  to  devote  the  afternoon 
to  selecting  the  furniture  for  my  new  house.  My 
friend  Buckleton  was  in  the  furniture  business. 
He  would  not  only  keep  my  secret,  but  he  would 
give  me  a  bargain  on  his  wares;  and  what  was 
better,  if  I  came  a  little  short  he  would  trust  me. 
The  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  goods  in  my  house 
was  so  much  real  property,  the  possession  of  which 

would  add  to  my  credit,  and 
was  available  as  security,  if 
occasion  required. 

The  bank  closed,  and 
after  I  had  settled  my  cash, 
I  decided  to  take  a  little 
lunch  at  Parker's  before  I 
went  to  Buckleton's  store. 
I  was  going  out  of  the 
bank  when  that  confounded 
Shay  top,  the  stable  man, 
presented  himself  before  me 
like  the  ghost  of  a  faded 
joy.  He  had  the  impudence 
stop's  Little  Bill.  to  thrust  his  little  bill, 
which  amounted  to  only  sixty  odd  dollars,  in   my 


THE  ENGLISH  BASEMENT  HOUSE.  61 

sunny  face.  Humph !  sixty  dollars  was  nothing 
to  me  in  my  present  frame  of  mind.  I  didn't 
"cotton"  to  any  such  sum  as  that,  and  Mr.  Bris- 
tlebach,  the  president  of  the  bank,  who  was 
reputed  to  be  worth  a  million,  could  not  have 
looked  more  magnificent  than  I  did,  if  he  had 
tried. 

"  Mr.  Glasswood,  I  am  getting  rather  tired  of 
calling  on  you  about  my  bill,"  Shaytop  began,  in 
the  most  uncompromising  manner. 

"Do  I  owe  you  anything,  Mr.  Shaytop ?  "  I 
inquired,  very  loftily. 

"Do  you  owe  me  anything!"  exclaimed  the 
fellow,  oi^ening  his  eyes  wide  enough  to  catch  a 
vision  of  the  prophetic  future.  "  I  reckon  you 
do." 

"Is  it  possible  ?  I  declare,  I  had  quite  for- 
gotten the  circumstance.  " 

"Forgotten  it!  I'll  bet  you  didn't!  I  think  I 
have  taken  pains  enough  to  keep  you  informed  of 
it.  " 

"Don't  be  rude,  Mr.  Shaytop.  I  don't  permit 
any  man  to  dun  me.  " 

"Don't  you?  Well,  by  George,  you  have  made 
an  exception  in  my  favor.  Haven't  I  been  to  see 
you  once  a  week  for  the  last  three  months  ?  " 

"  I  don't  remember,  "  I  replied,  vacantly. 


62  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  Look  here,  my  gay  bird,  you  can't  tom-fool 
me  any  longer.  I'm  going  to  have  my  money,  or 
break  something,  "  he  added,  with  an  energetic 
gesture. 

"  Certainly,  my  dear  sir,  if  I  owe  you  anything, 
I  shall  pay  it  with  greater  pleasure  than  you  will 
receive  it.  " 

"I'll  bet  you  won't!  I  want  to  see  Mr.  Bris- 
tlebach.  I  don't  think  he  likes  to  have  his  clerks 
run  up  bills  for  teams,  and  not  pay  for  them.  " 

"  All  right ;  you  can  see  Mr.  Bristlebach,  if  you 
wish.  He  is  in  the  director's  room.  Shall  I  in- 
troduce you  to  him  ?  " 

"I  want  to  see  him  if  you  are  not  going  to  pay 
me." 

"  Haven't  I  told  you  that  I  should  take  great 
pleasure  in  paying  you,  if  I  owe  you  anything. 
It  had  slipped  my  mind  that  I  owed  you'  a  bill, 
though  now  it  comes  to  me  that  there  is  a  small 
balance  due  you. " 

"  A  small  balance !  You  owe  me  sixty-two 
dollars !" 

"  Well,  I  call  that  a  small  balance.  In  the  bank 
we  deal  in  big  figures.  How  long  have  I  owed 
you  sixty-two  dollars,  Mr.  Shay  top  ?  " 

"  About  six  months." 

"Exactly  so!     Have  you  added  interest?" 


THE  ENGLISH  BASEMENT  HOUSE.  63 

"  No.  I  shall  be  glad  enough  to  get  the  bill, 
without  saying  anything  about  the  interest." 

"  If  I  forgot  this  little  matter,  it  is  not  right 
that  you  should  lose  anything  by  my  neglect. 
Add  the  interest  to  your  bill,  and  I  will  pay  it." 

44  That's  what  you  said  every  time  I  asked  you 
for  the  money — all  but  the  interest." 

"I'm  going  up  to  Parker's  for  a  lunch  now.  If 
you  will  call  there  in  half  an  hour,  I  will  pay  you 
the  bill  and  the  interest,"  I  continued,  glancing 
at  the  clock  in  the  bank. 

44  If  you  mean  so,  I'll  be  there." 

44  Don't  insult  me,  Mr.  Shaytop." 

44  I'll  be  there,  and  if  you  are  not  there,  I'll 
take  the  next  best  step." 

He  turned  on  his  heel,  and  left  me.  It  was 
painfully  impressed  upon  my  mind  that  I  must  pay 
that  bill,  and  thus  diminish  the  resources  for  fur- 
nishing the  house.  But  I  was  something  of  a 
philosopher,  and  I  argued  that  paying  this  demand 
would  not  increase  the  sum  total  of  my  indebted- 
ness; it  would  only  transfer  it  to  the  account  of 
the  furniture.  This  thought  suggested  a  new 
train  of  ideas.  My  tailor  was  bothering  me  about 
a  little  bill  I  owed  him  ;  Uncle  Halliard  would  be 
asking  me  again  if  I  did  not  owe  him  three  hun- 


64  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

dred  dollars  ;  and  Tom  Flynn  would  hint  that  he 
was  short.  Why  could  I  not  improve  my  credit  by 
paying  off  all  these  debts,  and  "  running  my  face  " 
for  the  furniture  ?  It  was  worthy  of  consideration 
as  a  piece  of  financial  policy. 

I  went  to  Parker's,  and  ordered  "  a  little  lunch  " 
which  cost  me  a  dollar  and  a  half.  Before  I  had 
finished  it,  Shaytop  made  his  appearance.  I  never 
saw  a  fellow  look  more  doubtful  than  he  did. 
He  evidently  believed  that  he  had  come  on  a  fool's 
errand.  Since  I  could  not  well  avoid  paying  the  bill, 
I  was  to  have  the  pleasure  of  dissolving  this  illu- 
sion in  his  mind. 

"  Sit  down,  Mr.  Shaytop,"  I  began  politely,  point- 
ing to  the  chair  opposite  my  own  at  the  table. 

"I  haven't  much  time  to  spare,"  he  replied, 
glancing  at  the  viands  before  me,  perhaps  with 
the  ill-natured  reflection  that  this  was  the  way 
the  money  went  which  ought  to  be  used  in  pay- 
ing his  bill. 

"  Won't  you  have  something  to  eat,  Mr.  Shay- 
top ;  or  something  to  drink,  if  you  please  ?  " 

"  No,  I  thank  you  ;  I've  been  to  dinner,  and  I 
never  drink  anything." 

"  Happy  to  have  you  eat  or  drink  with  me,"  I 
added,  coolly. 

"  I'm  in  a  hurry,  Mr.  Glass  wood." 


THE  ENGLISH  BASEMENT  HOUSE.  65 

"  Are  yon  ?  Well,  I'm  sorry  for  that.  We 
don't  live  ont  more  than  half  of  onr  lives  on 
account  of  always  being  in  a  hurry.  By  the  way 
it  seems  to  me  very  strange  I  forgot  that  little 
bill  of  yours.  One  hundred  and  sixty-two  dollars, 
I  think  you  said  it  was  ?  " 

"  Sixty-two  dollars,  I  said,"  he  answered  as  if 
congratulating  himself  that  it  was  not  the  sum  I 
named. 

He  took  the  bill  from  his  pocket,  and  laid  it  on 
the  table  before  me. 

"Good!"  said  I,  glancing  at  the  document. 
"I'm  a  hundred  dollars  in.  I  was  thinking  you 
said  it*  was  a  hundred  and  sixty-two." 

I  intimated  to  the  waiter  that  he  might  bring 
me  a  Charlotte  Russe,  and  he  removed  the  dishes 
from  the  table. 

"  I  don't  like  to  hurry  you,  Mr.  Glass  wood, 
but  I  ought  to  be  at  the  stable." 

"  O,  you  are  in  a  hurry  !  I  had  quite  forgotten 
that  you  said  so.  Well,  I  will  not  keep  you  wait- 
ing," I  replied  drawing  my  porte-monnaie  from  my 
pocket. 

His  eyes  glistened,  and  I  think  he  had  a  hope  by 
this  time.     I  glanced  at  the  bill  again. 

"You  haven't  added  the  interest,"  I  continued. 
5 


66  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"Never  mind  the  interest." 

"But  I  am  very  willing  to  pay  it." 

"  Well,  you  add  it.  You  can  figure  as  fast 
again  as  I  can." 

"  Sixty- three,  eighty-six,"  I  replied.  "  Receipt 
the  bill,  Mr.  Shaytop." 

He  went  over  to  the  cashier's  desk  and  per- 
formed this  pleasing  operation.  I  think  the  act 
gave  him  an  additional  hope  of  receiving  his 
money. 

44  Perhaps  you  had  just  as  lief  take  my  due  bill 
for  six  months  for  this  amount,  now  that  we  have 
added  the  interest  ?  "  I  suggested. 

"No,  I'll  be  hanged  if  I  had!"  retorted  he, 
very  sharply.  "  Have  you  brought  me  up  here, 
and  wasted  an  hour  of  my  time,  to  give  me  your 
note,  which  isn't  worth  the  paper  you  will  write 
it  on?" 

"You  are  impudent,  Mr.  Shaytop." 

44  Perhaps  I  am,  but  —  " 

44  Never  mind ;  if  you  don't  want  the  note,  you 
can  have  the  money.  It  don't  make  much  differ- 
ence to  me,  though  it  would  be  more  convenient 
to  pay  the  bill  at  another  time  than  now.  There 
isn't  the  least  need  of  making  use  of  any  strong 
language." 

44Pay  me,  and  I  won't  use  any,  then." 


THE  ENGLISH  BASEMENT  HOUSE.  67 

I  opened  my  porte-monnaie  and  took  therefrom 
the  roll  of  bills  I  had  received  from  Aunt  Rachel. 
A  $nq  hundred  dollar  bill  was  on  the  top,  and  the 
balance  of  the  pile  was  in  hundreds  and  fifties. 
I  ran  through  the  bills  with  professional  dexterity, 
so  that  he  could  see  the'  quality  of  them. 

"I  can't  make  the  change,  Mr.  Shay  top,"  I 
replied,  with  cool  indifference. 

I  glanced  at  him.  I  went  up  in  that  man's 
estimation  from  zero  to  summer  heat.  He  would 
have  trusted  me  for  a  span  every  day  in  the  week 
for  six  months.  I  took  out  a  hundred  dollar  bill 
and  tossed  it  over  to  him.  As  I  suspected,  he 
could  not  give  me  the  change.  He  went  to  the 
counter  and  procured  smaller  bills  for  it,  and  gave 
me  the  sum  coming  to  me.  He  had  ceased  to  be 
in  a  hurry. 

"  If  you  want  any  more  teams,  Mr.  Glass  wood, 
I  think  I  can  fit  you  out  as  well  as  any  other 
stable  in  the  city,"  said  he,  after  he  had  put  his 
wallet  back  into  his  pocket. 

"  I  don't,"  I  replied,  curtly. 

"  Don't  you  ride  any  now  ?" 

"  Yes,  just  as  much  as  ever;  but  you  see,  Mr. 
Shaytop,  I  don't  like  to  be  bothered  with  these 
small  accounts,  and  to   deal  with   men  who   think 


68  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

so  much  of  little  things,"  I  answered,  magnifi- 
cently." You  have  threatened  to  speak  to  Mr. 
Bristlebach,  which  you  are  quite  welcome  to  do ; 
and  you  intimate  that  my  note  is  not  worth  the 
paper  on  which  it  is  written." 

"I  hope  you  will  excuse  me  for  what  I  said, 
but  I  was  a  little  vexed"  pleaded  he.  "I  was 
mistaken  in  you.  The  fact  of  it  is,  I  lost  two  or 
three  bills—" 

"  You  haven't  lost  anything  by  me,  and  I  don't 
intend  you  shall,"  I  interposed. 

I  finished  my  "little  lunch,"  rose  from  the 
table,  and  having  paid  my  bill,  left  the  house. 
Shaytop  followed  me.  He  wanted  my  trade,  now 
that  he  had  seen  the  inside  of  my  pocket-book. 
But  I  shook  him  off  as  soon  as  I  desired  to  do 
so,  and  hastened  to  the  store  of  Buckleton.  Con- 
fidentially I  stated  my  plan  to  him,  and  he  was 
willing  to  be  my  bosom  friend.  In  the  course  of 
the  interview  I  opened  my  porte-monnaie,  and  con- 
trived that  he  should  see  the  figures  on  the  bank 
bills  it  contained.  It  was  surprising  how  those 
figures  opened  his  heart. 

When  I  suggested  that  I  was  making  a  large 
outlay,  he  volunteered  to  trust  me  to  any  extent 
I  desired.     He  was    kind  enough  to  go    with  me 


THE  ENGLISH  BASEMENT  HOUSE.  69 

to  the  carpet  store,  and  assist  me  in  the  selection 
of  the  goods  I  wanted.  I  insisted  upon  paying 
two  hundred  dollars  on  account,  which  made  the 
carpet  people  astonishingly  good-natured  to  me ; 
and  I  was  taken  aback  when  they  offered  to  give 
me  credit.  Buckleton  then  went  with  me  to  the 
kitchen  furnishing  store,  and  his  advice  helped  me 
very  much  as  I  wandered  through  the  long  lists 
of  articles.  I  made  the  selection  and  paid  the 
bill. 

When  we  returned  to  the  furniture  store,  I 
warmed  toward  him,  and  finally  prevailed  on  him  to 
accept  two  hundred  dollars  towards  the  bill  I 
bought  of  him.  He  gave  me  a  receipt.  When 
we  footed  up  the  prices  of  the  goods  I  had  selected, 
I  was  rather  startled  to  find  they  amounted  to 
nearly  eight  hundred  dollars. 

u  I  can't  afford  that !  "  I  protested,  "  I  must  go 
over  it  again,  and  take  some  cheaper  articles." 

"It  don't  pay  to  buy  cheap  furniture,  Glass- 
wood,"  replied  my  friend.  "You  have  been  very 
moderate  in  your  selections." 

He  overcame  my  scruples  by  declaring  that  I 
need  not  pay  for  the  goods  till  it  suited  my  own 
convenience.  I  left  him  and  went  back  to  the 
bank  to  count    my  funds.     I  had    only  four  hun- 


70  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

dred  and  seventy  dollars  left.  I  could  not  pay 
off  the  six  hundred  of  old  debts  now ;  so  I  left 
the  matter  open  for  further  consideration. 

The  carpet  people  went  to  work  immediately, 
and  in  a  week  all  the  rooms  were  ready  for  the 
furniture.  Buckleton  was  so  obliging  as  to  go  to 
the  house  himself  and  arrange  the  chairs,  tables, 
bedsteads  and  other  articles.  The  kitchen  furni- 
ture was  all  put  in  the  closets,  hung  up  on  the 
walls,  or  otherwise  disposed  of,  so  that  the  place 
looked  like  an  occupied  home.  I  had  sheets,  pil- 
low-cases, towels,  and  other  articles  made  up,  and 
in  three  weeks  the  English  basement-house  looked 
as  cosey  as  the  heart  of  a  bank  officer  could 
desire. 

But  fearful  inroads  had  been  made  upon  my 
exchequer.  The  carpet  people  made  up  a  total 
bill  of  three  hundred  and  thirty  dollars ;  and  when 
I  hinted  that  I  might  possibly  find  it  necessary  to 
avail  myself  of  their  offer  to  give  me  credit,  they 
had  a  note  to  pay  and  wanted  the  cash.  I  was 
too  magnificent  to  haggle.  I  settled  their  bill  —  and 
cursed  them  in  my  heart.  When  I  had  paid  every- 
thing except  the  six  hundred  I  owed  Buckleton, 
I  had  only  ninety  dollars  in  my  pocket. 

I    was    alarmed.     A    cold  sweat    stood  on    my 


THE  ENGLISH  BASEMENT  HOUSE.  71 

forehead  as  I  added  up  the  items  and  found  that 
I  was  twelve  hundred  dollars  in  debt.  The  situ- 
ation worried  me  for  a  few  days,  but  I  soon  became 
accustomed  to  it.  I  consoled  myself  with  the 
hope  that  the  bank  would  raise  my  salary,  though 
I  could  pay  off  the  debts  with  my  present  income 
in  three  years.  It  would  all  come  out  right  in 
the  end,  and  it  was  useless  to  worry  about  the 
matter. 

I  didn't  worry  long.  The  English  basement  house, 
all  furnished,  new  and  elegant,  with  a  Biddy  in 
the  kitchen,  was  a  joy  which  could  not  be  ignored. 
If  it  had  cost  me  nearly  fifteen  hundred  dollars  to 
furnish  the  house,  I  had  that  amount  of  property 
on  hand,  and  my  debts  were  really  no  more  than 
before.  The  house  was  ready  for  my  wife,  and  I 
proposed  to  her,  one  afternoon,  when  all  was 
ready,  to  take  a  walk  with  me. 


CHAPTER  V. 
LILIAN  ASTONISHED  —  SO  AM  I. 

IN  spite  of  the  doubts  and  fears  which  had  dis- 
turbed me,  I  was  delighted  with  the  English 
basement  house  and  already  in  anticipation  I 
enjoyed  the  surprise  of  Lilian,  when  I  should  tell 
her  that  the  beautiful  home  was  her  own.  I 
asked  her  to  walk  with  me,  but  she  was  a  little 
fretful  that  day;  somehow  she  seemed  more  like 
14  dear  ma  "  than  I  had  ever  seen  her  before. 

"I  don't  want  to  walk  to-day,  Paley.  I'm 
tired,"  she  replied,  with  a  languid  air. 

"  I  only  wish  to  go  a  little  way,"  I  added. 

"Not  to-day,   Paley." 

"  I  want  to  show  you  a  house,  Lilian." 

"A  house!"  she  exclaimed  with  something  like 
an  abused  expression  on  her  beautiful  face,  as 
though  she  half  suspected  the  treason  towards 
"  dear  ma  "  which  I  was  meditating. 

"  I  saw  a  little  English  basement  house  in 
Needham  street,  which  I  would  like  to  have  you 
look  at,  just  as  a   curiosity,  you  know,"  I  contin- 

72 


LILIAN  A  S  TONISHED  —SO  AM  I.  73 

ued,  with  as  much  indifference  as  I  could 
assume. 

"Why  do  you  wish  me  to  see  it,  Paley?"  she 
asked,  exhibiting  more  interest  and  apparently 
forgetting  that  she  was  tired. 

44  Well,  because  I  saw  it,  and  liked  the  looks  of 
it.     There  can  be  no  harm  in  seeing  it." 

"I  don't  know,  Paley,"  she  answered,  doubt- 
fully ;  but  whatever  suspicions  she  cherished,  she 
could  have  no  idea  of  the  truth,  "  We  will  go 
some  other  day." 

44  But  we  may  not  have  the  opportunity  another 
day.  I  happen  to  know  that  the  house  is  open 
to-day." 

44  What  do  you  mean,  Paley?  You  look  just 
as  though  you  were  planning  something." 

44  So  I  am.  I  am  planning  a  little  walk  that 
will  not  take  half  an  hour  of  your  time." 

44  Something  worse  than  that,"  she  added,  shak- 
ing her  head. 

44 1  was  thinking  that,  some  time  or  other,  we 
might  possibly  go  to  housekeeping." 

44  Well,  I  suppose  we  shall,  some  time  or  other," 
she  answered,  languidly.  4'  But  I  hope  you  are 
not  thinking  of  doing  it  yet  awhile.  I  can't  bear 
the  thought  of  leaving  dear  .ma ;  we  are  so  pleas- 
antly situated  here." 


74  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

To  use  a  vulgar  expression,  "  I  did  not  see  it." 
I  was. not  wicked  enough  to  attempt  to  prejudice 
my  darling  against  "  dear  ma,"  and  I  felt  obliged 
to  manage  the  matter  with  care.  But,  as  the 
shock  could  not  long  be  deferred,  I  might  as  well 
make  some  approaches. 

"  Of  course  we  are  situated  pleasantly  enough 
here;  but  you  know,  Lilian,  that  you  said  we 
must  go  to  housekeeping." 

"Certainly,  we  must  go  to  housekeeping  in  time, 
but  not  yet." 

"  But  you  know  that  your  mother  was  kind 
enough  to  take  us  to  board  only  till  we  could 
complete  our  arrangements.  She  is  very  obliging, 
and  I  am  very  grateful  to  her  for  the  favor;  but 
I  don't  think  it  would  be  right  for  us  to  impose 
ourselves  upon  her  any  longer  than  is  absolutely 
necessary." 

"O —  well — of  course  not;  but  it  will  be  very 
hard  for  me  to  go  away  from  home." 

"  We  need  not  go  far  ;  indeed,  not  so  far  but 
that  you  can  call  upon  her  every  day.  My  con- 
science reproaches  me  when  I  think  of  the  trouble 
we  are  giving  her." 

"  She  does  not  complain." 

"She  will  not  complain,  but    at  the  same   time 


LILIAN  AS TONISHED  —  SO  AM  I.  75 

it  is  not  right  for  us  to  remain  here,  under  the 
circumstances,  any  longer  than  we  are  compelled 
to  do  so.  You  know  she  said  she  should  not 
think  of  taking  any  body  else  to  board ;  and  after 
she  has  been  so  kind  to  us,  we  ought  to  be  con- 
siderate enough  not  to  trespass  upon  her  good- 
ness." 

"I  will  speak  to  her  about  the  matter;  and  if 
she  really  does  not  wish  to  keep  us,  why,  we'll 
leave,"  added  Lilian. 

"  But,  my  dear,  you  must  not  forget  that  she  is 
your  mother,  and  that  she  will  make  any  sacrifice 
for  your  sake,  even  to  her  own  great  injury.  It 
is  a  matter  of  conscience  with  me ;  and  I  do  not 
feel  like  asking  her  to  make  this  sacrifice  of  com- 
fort any  longer  than  necessary.  Our  coming  here 
was  only  a  temporary  arrangement,  you  know, 
and  whatever  she  may  say,  our  being  here  will 
give  her  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and  anxiety. 
Come,  Lilian,  dearest,  put  on  your  bonnet.  It 
will  do  no  harm  to  look  at  the  house.  It  is  al- 
ready rented  to  a  young  couple  who  are  just 
going  to  housekeeping,"  I  continued;  but  I  did 
not  think  it  necessary  to  say  who  the  young 
couple  were,  and  she  did  not  seem  to  care  enough 
about  it  to  ask  me. 


76  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  If  the  house  is  let,  why  do  you  wish  me  to 
see  it  ?  "  she  inquired. 

"  I  want  to  get  at  your  ideas  in  regard  to  a 
house,"  I  replied,  ingeniously. 

She  looked  at  me,  and  seemed  to  have  some 
doubts,  but  she  probably  reasoned  that  the  house 
was  already  rented,  and  there  could  be  no  treason 
against  "  dear  ma  "  in  merely  looking  at  it.  She 
put  on  her  bonnet  and  shawl.  When  my  hand 
was  on  the  door  the  ever  watchful  Mrs.  Oliphant 
appeared,  and  wished  to  know  whether  we  should 
be  back  to  tea. 

We  should ;  but  this  was  not  enough.  Lilian 
was  not  very  well,  and  she  must  not  walk  too 
far.  We  were  only  going  around  to  Needham 
street,  and  should  return  in  half  an  hour.  If 
Lilian  was  going  to  call  on  the  Trescotts,  why 
had  she  not  told  her  mother,  for  both  owed  them 
a  call  ?  We  did  not  intend  to  call  on  the  Tres- 
cotts ;  we  were  only  going  out  for  a  little  walk. 
If  we  were  going  to  walk,  why  were  we  particu- 
lar in  saying  that  we  were  going  through  Needham 
street?  There  was  some  treason  in  Needham 
street,  and  Lilian  was  forced  to  say  that  we  desired 
to  see  a  house  which  was  already  leased  to  a 
young  couple  who  were  going  to   housekeeping. 


LILIAN  A S TONISHBD  —  SO  AM  I.  77 

"  Dear  ma "  looked  uneasy,  but  she  permitted 
us  to  depart.  I  was  afraid  she  would  insist  upon 
accompanying  us,  as  I  think  she  would,  had  she 
not  been  satisfied  by  the  assurance  that  the 
house  was  already  leased.  We  walked  to  Need- 
ham  street.  I  was  full  of  hope.  Lilian  would  like 
the  English  basement  house  —  she  could  not  help 
liking  it,  and  what  a  rapturous  moment  would  it 
be  when  I  told  her  that  it  was  all  her  own! 
Even  the  anticipated  battle  with  "  dear  ma" 
seemed  to  be  farther  removed  and  of  much 
less  consequence  than  before.  We  approached  the 
house,  and  my  heart  beat  high  with  transports  of 
delight.  In  a  few  days,  perhaps  the  very  next 
day,  I  should  see  the  idol  of  my  soul  enthroned 
within  its  walls  ! 

With  Lilian  leaning  lovingly  on  my  arm,  I 
halted  at  No.  21.  On  the  door,  to  my  intense 
confusion  and  disgust,  glittered  a  new  silver  plate 
whereon  was  inscribed  the  name,  "  P.  Glass- 
wood,"  not  in  Old  English,  German  text,  or  any 
other  letter  which  he  who  runs  may  not  often 
read,  but  in  plain  script!  I  had  told  the  maker 
not  to  put  it  on  the  door  for  a  week;  but  he  had 
misunderstood  me,  or  had  taken  it  upon  himself  to 
defeat  my  plan. 


78  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"P.  Glass  wood  !  "-exclaimed  dear  Lilian,  stunned 
and  horrified,  so  that  the  shock  she  had  thrilled 
my  whole  frame. 

"  Certainly;  P.  Glassford,"  I  interposed,  promptly. 
"You  know  Pierce  —  don't  you,  Lilian?  I  think 
you  saw  him  when  we  were  at  Springhaven.  He 
is  only  a  second  cousin  of  mine,  but  he  is  a  good 
fellow." 

"  I  didn't  know  you  had  a  cousin  of  that 
name,"  she  replied,  much  comforted. 

As  I  did  not  know  it  myself,  I  did  not  blame  her 
for  not  being  aware  of  the  circumstance.^  I  opened 
the  door,  and  we  went  in,  for  I  had  already  pro- 
vided myself  with  a  night  key  —  that  gross  metallic 
sin  against  a  wife.  Of  course  the  house  and  fur- 
niture were  at  their  best  estate.  Every  thing 
was  new,  nice  and  eleganfc.  The  hall  gave  the 
first  cheerful  impression  of  the  house,  and  Lilian 
was  delighted  with  it.  The  little  sitting-room  was 
so  cosey  and  snug  that  my  wife  actually  cried  out 
with  pleasure. 

The  parlors  and  the  chambers  were  equally  sat- 
isfactory, and  Lilian  thought  my  cousin  would  be 
very  happy  with  his  bride  in  this  new  house.  We 
proceeded  to  the  kitchen,  where  the  Biddy  in 
charge  smiled  benignantly  upon  her  new  "  missus,  " 


LILIAN  A  S  TON  I  SHED  —SO  AM  I.  79 

though  she  did  not  betray  the  secret  she  had  been 
instructed  to  keep.  My  wife  was  not  so  much 
interested  in  the  kitchen  as  in  the  parlor  and  sit- 
ting-room, but  she  was  kind  enough  to  say  that 
every  thing  was  neat  and  convenient,  though  I 
am  afraid  she  was  hardly  a  judge  on  the  latter 
point.  We  returned  to  the  sitting-room,  and  my 
wife  seated  herself  in  the  low  rocking-chair  which 
had  been  selected  for  her  use. 

"How  do  you  like  it  on  the  whole,  Lilian?"  I 
asked,  dropping  into  the  arm-chair,  in  which  I 
intended  to  read  the  Transcript  every  evening. 

"  I  think  it  is  real  nice,"  she  replied,  with  a 
degree  of  enthusiasm  which  fully  rewarded  me  for 
all  the  pains  I  had  taken,  and  the  anxiety  I  had 
suffered. 

"  I'm  glad  you  like  it,  Lilian.  I  like  it  exceed- 
ingly, and  I  am  glad  to  find  our  tastes  are  one 
and  the  same." 

"  I  don't  mean  to  say  that,  if  I  were  going  to 
house-keeping,  I  wouldn't  have  some  things  differ- 
ent," she  added. 

"But  you  think  you  could  contrive  to  exist  in 
a  house  like  this  ?  " 

"  Why,  yes  ;  I  like  it  very  much  indeed." 

"Then  it  is  yours  Lilian!  "  I  added,  rising  from 


80  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

my  arm-chair,  as  I  precipitated  the  climax  upon 
her. 

"What  do  you  mean,  Paley?"  she  asked,  be- 
wildered by  my   words. 

"  This  house  and  all  that  it  contains  are  ours, 
dearest  Lilian." 

"I  thought  you  said  it  was  your  cousin's." 

"  So  I  did,  Lilian ;  but  that  was  only  a  little 
fiction  to  aid  me  in  giving  you  a  delightful  sur- 
prise. This  house  is  yours,  my  dear,  and  all  that 
it  contains,  including  myself,  and  Biddy  in  the 
kitchen." 

"Is  it  possible?     Do  you  mean  so,  Paley?" 

"I  do  ;  every  word,  syllable,  letter  and  point, 
including  the  crossing  of  the  t's  and  the  dotting 
of  the  i's,  of  what  I  say  is  true.  The  house  and 
all  that  it  contains  are  ours." 

"  I  don't  understand  it." 

"  Well,  dearest,  it  is  plain  enough.  Not  only 
to  give  you  a  pleasant  surprise,  but  to  save  you 
all  trouble  and  anxiety,  I  have  hired  the  house 
and  furnished  it." 

"  You  have,  Paley  ?  " 

"  I  have,  dearest  Lilian !  How  happy  we  shall 
be  in  our  new  home." 

"  I  don't  think  so  !  " 


LILIAN  ASTONISHED  —  SO  AM  I.  81 

Certainly  Lilian  had  been  duly  and  properly 
astonished.  It  was  my  turn  now,  and  I  was,  if 
possible,  more  astonished  than  she  had  been.  She 
did  not  think  so  !  What  an  unwarrantable  con- 
clusion ! 

"  You  don't  think  so,  Lilian  ?  "  I  added,  inter- 
rogatively. 

"  No,  I  don't !  If  you  begin  in  this  way  we 
can  never  be  happy." 

"  Why  not  ?  " 

"  In  the  first  place,  I  don't  want  to  go  to  house- 
keeping yet." 

"  But  I  thought  you  did.  The  plan  has  been 
from  the  beginning,  since  we  could  not  get  board 
at  the  Revere  or  in  Beacon  Street,  to  go  to  house- 
keeping," I  replied,  with  rather  more  sharpness 
than  I  had  ever  before  found  it  necessary  to  use 
to  dear  Lilian. 

She  was  evidently  angry,  and  her  eyes  glowed 
like  diamonds  in  the  sunlight.  But  she  never 
looked  so  pretty  as  she  did  at  that  moment  when 
her  face  was  rouged  with  natural  roses,  and  her 
eyes  appeared  like  a  living  soul. 

"  Do  you    think,    Paley,    that   I  want  to  go  to 
house-keeping  in  a  little,    narrow  contracted    box 
like  this  ?  "  she  added. 
6 


82  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"I  thought  you  liked  the  house,  dearest  Lilian." 

"  I  like  it  very  well  for  Mrs.  Pierce  Glass  wood, 
but  not  for  Mrs.  Paley  Glasswood." 

"  I  am  sorry  you  don't  like  it,  for  it  is  too 
late  now  to  recede,"  I  replied,  gasping  for  breath. 
"  I  was  sure  it  would  please  you." 

"  It  don't !  " 

"What  possible  fault  can  you  find  with  it?" 

"  It  don't  suit  me.  How  could  you  do  such  a 
thing,  Paley,  as  to  hire  a  house  and  furnish  it, 
without  saying  a  word  to  me  ?  " 

By  this  time  I  had  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
it  was  very  stupid  in  me  to  do  it. 

"  I  wanted  to  surprise  you." 

"  Well,  you  have  surprised  me,"  she  snapped, 
with  such  a  sweet  expression  of  contempt  that  I 
was  almost  annihilated.  "  Do  you  think  a  lady 
has  no  will  of  her  own  ?  No  taste,  no  judgment, 
no  fancy  ?  How  could  you  be  so  ridiculous  as  to 
furnish  a  house  without  asking  my  advice  ?  Could 
you  have  found  a  homelier  carpet  in  Boston,  if  you 
had  looked  for  one,  than  this  very  carpet  under 
our  feet?  " 

"Buckleton  said  it  was  the  handsomest  one  in 
the  city,  and  the  neatest  pattern." 

"  Then    Buckleton    has  no  taste.      No  one    can 


LILIAN  ASTONISHED  —  SO  AM  I.  83 

select  a  carpet  for  a  woman.  What  did  you  put 
that  cold  oil-cloth  on  the  entry  for?  I  should 
think  you  imported  it  from  the  polar  regions  on 
purpose  to  give  me  a  chill  every  time  I  see  it ! 
The  figure  in  the  parlor  carpet  is  large  enough 
for  a  room  a  hundred  feet  square.  That  great 
blundering  tete-a-tete  is  fit  for  a  bar-room,  but 
not  for  a  parlor.  There  is  no  end  to  the  absurd- 
ities in  this  house.'' 

"  Now,  really,  dearest  Lilian,  I  was  sure  you 
would  be  pleased  with  every  thing,"  I  pleaded. 

"You  are  a  stupid,  Paley  Glass  wood." 

I  agreed  with  her. 

"  I  am  very  sorry,  Lilian ;  but  I  did  everything 
with  the  hope  of  pleasing  you." 

"Now  here's  a  pretty  kettle  of  fish!  "  exclaimed 
my  indignant  bride.     "  What  can  we  do  ?  " 

"  I  can't  alter  the  house,  my  dear,  but  I  can 
change  the  furniture  so  as  to  suit  you,  though 
doing  so  will  be  very  expensive,"  I  continued, 
meekly,  as  I  endeavored  to  conciliate  her. 

We  had  been  married  only  about  four  months, 
and  the  present  occasion  looked  very  much  like  a 
quarrel.  I  had  not  had  the  remotest  suspicion  that 
she  was  so  spunky.  It  did  occur  to  me  that  she 
was    slightly    unreasonable,    if    one    so     beautiful 


84  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

could  be  unreasonable.  Her  father  was  as  poor 
as  a  church  mouse.  His  house,  as  I  have  hinted, 
was  meanly  furnished,  and  certainly  neither  the 
house  nor  the  furniture  was  worthy  to  be  com- 
pared with  the  one  I  had  provided  for  my  little 
wife.  She  had  no  reason  for  putting  on  airs,  and 
being  so  fiercely  critical  about  the  carpets  and  the 
chairs.  They  were  vastly  better  than  she  had 
ever  had  at  home. 

"  Do  you  think  I  will  live  in  this  house,  Paley 
Glasswood?"  said  she,  with  her  lips  compressed 
and  her  eyes  snapping  with  indignation. 

"  Why,  I  hope  so,"  I  replied,  more  astonished 
than  she  had  been  at  any  time  during  the  visit  to 
the  new  house. 

"  You  are  mistaken,  Paley  Glasswood.  I  am 
your  wife,  but  not  your  slave  ;  I  am  not  to  be 
dragged  from  my  home  when  and  where  you 
please.  You  ought  to  have  told  me  what  you 
intended  to  do  in  the  beginning." 

"I  know  it  now ;  and  I  confess  that  I  was 
wrong,"  I  replied,  with  due  humility,  and,  I  may 
add,  with  perfect  sincerity.  "  I  hope  you  will 
forgive  me,  this  time  Lilian,  and  I  will  never  be 
guilty   of  such  an  offence  again." 

"I  should  hope  not.  But  here  we  are!  What's 
to  be  done  with  this  house  and  furniture  ?  " 


LILIAN  A S TONISHED  —  SO  AM  I.  85 

"  Why,  my  dear,  won't  you  go  to  housekeeping 
with  me  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not,  in  this  house,"  she  answered, 
with  a  nourish. 

This  announcement  was  very  startling  to  me. 
It  was  appalling  to  think  that  I  had  expended 
fifteen  hundred  in  preparing  a  cage  which  the 
bird  refused  to  occupy.  Intensely  as  I  loved, 
adored  Lilian,  I  could  not  help  seeing  that  she 
was  developing  a  trait  of  character  which  I  did 
not  like.  But  I  was  a  politic  man,  and  seeing 
how  useless  it  was  to  attempt  to  argue  the  mat- 
ter while  she  was  in  her  present  frame  of  mind, 
I  had  to  keep  still.  We  left  the  house  and 
walked  home.  For  the  first  time  since  we  were 
married  she  declined  to  take  my  arm,  and  I  began 
to  be  very  miserable.  Somehow  it  seemed  to  me 
that  the  meeker  I  was,  and  the  more  I  deprecated 
her  wrath,  the  greater  became  her  objection  to 
the  house. 

"What  shall  I  say  to  dear  ma?"  demanded 
Lilian,  after  she  had  thrown  off  her  things. 

"  My  dear,  you  need  not  say  a  word  to  her.  I 
will  do  all  this  unpleasant  business  myself,"  I 
replied.  "  You  can  lay  all  the  blame  upon  me. 
I  will  tell  her  that  we  are  going  to  our  new  house 


86  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"You  needn't  tell  her  any  such  thing,  for  I 
am  not." 

Before  we  had  proceeded  any  farther  with  the 
discussion  Mrs.  Oliphant  entered  the  room.  The 
battle  was  imminent. 


CHAPTER     VI. 

A  FAMILY    JAR. 

I  DID  not  feel  at  all  at  ease  when  Mrs. 
Olipliant  entered  the  room.  I  was  entirely 
willing  to  be  conquered  and  trodden  under  the 
little  feet  of  the  fair  Lilian,  but  I  was  not  so 
ready  to  be  trampled  upon  by  the  unromantic  feet 
of  "dear  ma."  I  was  conscious  that  my  pretty 
wife  was  getting  the  weather-gage  of  me  —  that 
she  had  already  got  it,  in  fact.  I  was  not  dis- 
posed to  complain  of  this,  but  I  intended,  if  pos- 
sible, to  out-manoeuvre  Mrs.  Oliphant.  I  regarded 
Lilian  as  "  my  family,"  and  I  wished  to  have  her 
"  set  off"  from  my  mother-in-law. 

In  spite  of  all  the  strong  talk  which  my  lovely 
wife  had  used  in  regard  to  the  English  basement 
house,  I  confidently  expected  that  she  would  take 
her  place  in  the  new  home  I  had  provided  for 
her.  If  she  was  dissatisfied  with  it,  she  would 
soon  love  it  for  my  sake,  if  not  for  its  own.  But 
I  was  sure  she  did  not  rebel  on  her  own  account; 
it  was  the    influence    of    her  mother    which    had 

87 


88  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

controlled  her.  I  accepted  the  theory  that  the 
queen's  majesty  could  do  no  wrong.  If  anything 
was  not  right,  it  was  the  fault  of  the  ministers. 

After  I  had  permitted  lier  to  say  all  she  had  to 
say,  and  to  exhaust  her  vocabulary  of  invective, 
she  would  quietly  submit  to  the  new  house,  move 
in,  be  as  happy  as  a  queen  in  a  short  time,  and 
wonder  how  she  had  ever  thought  the  little  snug- 
gery was  not  a  palace.  I  had  made  a  fearful  ex- 
penditure in  preparing  the  house  for  her ;  I  had 
thrust  my  head  into  the  jaws  of  the  monster 
Debt,  and  I  must  make  the  best  of  the  situation. 

"Ma,"  said  Lilian,  as  her  mother  entered  the 
room,  "what  do  you  suppose  Paley  has  done?" 

The  poor  child  looked  at  the  faded  carpet  as 
she  spoke,  hardly  daring  to  raise  her  eyes  to  the 
maternal  visage.  I  hoped  she  contrasted  the  hue- 
less  fabric  on  the  floor  with  those  bright  colors 
which  gleamed  from  her  own  carpet  in  the 
Needham  street  house. 

"Why,  what  has  he  done?"  asked  Mrs.  Oli- 
phan,  with  a  theatrical  start,  which  was  modified 
by  a  tiger  smile  bestowed  upon  me. 

"He  has  hired  a  house?"  replied  Lilian,  with 
a  gasping  sigh,  which  was  simply  intended  as 
convincing  evidence  that  she  was  not  implicated 
in  the  nefarious  transaction. 


A  FAMIL  T  JAR. 


89 


"  Hired  a  house  !  " 
exclaimed  Mrs.  Oli- 
phant ;  and  her  sigh 
was  genuine,  and 
not  intended  for 
effect. 

"  And  furnished  it 
too  !  "  added  Lilian, 
with  horror,  as  she 
piled  up  the  details 
of  my  hideous  wick- 
edness. 

"And  furnished 
it  too!"  groaned 
poor  Mrs.  Oliphant, 
sinking  into  a  chair,  Mrs.  oiiphant. 

as  though  she  had  reached  the  depth  of  despair  in 
the  gulf  into  which  my  infamous  conduct  had 
plunged   her. 

"  He  did  not  say  a  word  to  me  about  the  house 
or  furniture  until  this  very  afternoon  !  "  continued' 
my  beautiful  wife,  holding  up  both  her  prett}^  white 
hands  the  better  to  emphasize  her  astonishment 
and    chagrin. 

"  Of  course,  if  you    desire    to  leave    your    own 
pleasant  home,  Lilian,  it  is  not    for  me  to    say    a 


90  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

word,"  added  the  meek  mamma,  with  another 
sigh,  which  seemed  to  measure  the  depth  of  the 
resignation  that  could  submit  to  such  an  out- 
rage. 

"But  I  do  not  desire  to  leave  my  pleasant 
home,"  protested  Lilian.  "  I  never  had  such  a 
thought.  I  am  sure,  I  have  been  so  happy  here 
that  I  never  dreamed  of  another  home,  as  long  as 
you  were  willing  to  keep  us,  mother." 

"  You  have  been  very  kind  indeed  to  us,  Mrs. 
Oliphant,"  I  ventured  to  remark,  though  I  was 
not  certain  that  the  time  had  come  for  me  to  de- 
fend myself.  "  I  feel  very  grateful  to  you  for  the 
sacrifice  you  have  made  to  accommodate  us ;  and 
I  am  sure  I  shall  never  forget  it." 

"  A  mother  lives  for  her  children  alone,"  sighed 
Mrs.  Oliphant.  "  Even  when  they  are  married  she 
cannot  lose  her  interest  in  them." 

"  Certainly  not,  madam ;  especially  not  in  so 
good  a  daughter  as   Lilian." 

"It  is  hard  enough  to  have  them  removed  by 
marriage  from  the  direct  influence  of  a  mother, 
and  to  feel  that  she  is  no  longer  a  mother  in  the 
sense  she  has  been." 

I  thought  that  Mrs.  Oliphant  had  submitted  to 
the  marriage  of  her  daughter  with  tolerable  resig- 


A  FAMIL  T  JAR.  91 

nation,  and  would  even  permit  the  other  two  to 
go  to  the  sacrifice  without  rebelling-  against  the 
dictates  of  fate. 

"  Of  course  she  can  never  be  entirely  removed 
from  a  mother's  influence,"  I  replied,  wishing  that 
she  could.  "  You  have  been  very  kind  and  con- 
siderate toward  us  since  we  were  married — to  me 
for  Lilian's  sake." 

"  And  for  your  own,"  she  interposed. 

"  I  trust  I  shall  never  be  ungrateful.  I  feel 
called  upon  to  explain  my  conduct,"  I  continued. 
"  You  remember,  when  we  returned  from  our 
bridal  tour  that  something  was  said  about  board- 
ing. We  could  not  find  such  accommodations  as 
we  desired,  and  you  were  so  kind  as  to  offer  to 
accommodate  us  till  we  could  obtain  a  house,  or 
make  other  arrangements." 

uYes,  I  remember,"  replied  Mrs.  Oliphant.  "I 
don't  take  boarders,  but  I  was  willing  to  do  what 
I  could  for  Lilian's  comfort  and  happiness." 

"  You  were,  madam  ;  and  I  was  very  grateful 
to  you  for  your  consideration,  both  to  Lilian  and 
to  me.  You  intimated  that  it  would  not  be  con- 
venient for  you  to  take  us  to  board,  but  you 
were  willing  to  sacrifice  your  own  comfort  and 
your  own  feelings  to  oblige  us.     I  was  very  sorry 


92  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

indeed  that  the  circumstances  compelled  us  to 
trespass  upon  your  kindness.  You  did  us  a  favor 
for  which  I  shall  never  cease  to  be  grateful.  But 
I  did  not  feel  willing  to  compel  you  to  submit  to 
the  inconvenience  of  boarding  us  any  longer  than 
was  absolutely  necessary.  My  gratitude  compelled 
me,  when  I  found  a  house,  to  take  it,  and  relieve 
you  at  once  from  all  the  care  and  responsibility 
which  your  self-sacrificing  nature  had  imposed 
upon  you." 

"  And  without  even  permitting  me  to  see  the 
house  in  which  I  was  to  live!"  exclaimed  Lilian, 
coming  to  the  assistance  of  her  mother,  who 
seemed  to  be  thrown  into  disorder  by   my  tactics. 

"  I  did  not  suppose  it  was  possible  for  any  one, 
even  with  your  refined  taste,  Lilian,  to  object  to 
such  a  beautiful  little  house.  But  I  was  obliged 
to  hire  it  on  the  instant,  or  lose  it.  Another 
man  would  have  taken  it  in  less  than  half  an 
hour.  It  is  so  near  your  mother's  that  you  can 
come  to  see  her  half-a-dozen  times  a  day,  if  you 
please." 

"  But  I  will  never  live  in  that  house,"  protested 
Lilian,  with  more  energy  than  I  thought  the  occa- 
sion required,  though  I  could  not  help  adoring 
her  while  her  cheeks  glowed  and  her  eyes 
snapped. 


A  FAMILT  JAR.  93 

"Don't  say  that,  dear  Lilian.  You  should 
endeavor  to  conform  to  the  wishes  of  your  hus- 
band," mildly  interposed  the  suffering  parent. 
"  Doubtless  he  has  done  all  for  the  best,  and  per- 
haps you  will  like  the  house,  after  all." 

"  I  know  I  never  shall  like  it,"  snapped  the 
divine  Lilian ;  which  was  as  much  as  to  say  that 
she  was  fully  determined  not  to  like  it. 

"  Mrs.  Oliphant,  would  you  do  me  the  favor  to 
walk  over  to  the  house  with  me  ?  "  I  suggested 
to  the  affectionate  mother. 

"No ;  I  would  rather  not.  I  never  step  between 
man  and  wife,"  replied  she,  with  praiseworthy 
resolution.  "I  do  not  wish  to  see  the  house. 
This  is  an  affair  between  you  and  Lilian,  and  it 
is  my  duty  to  be  strictly   neutral." 

"  But  I  hope  you  appreciate  my  motives?  " 

"  I  can  '  not  say  that  I  do,"  she  answered.  "  I 
think  a  man  should  consult  his  wife  before  he 
hires  and  furnishes  the  house  in  which  she  is  to 
spend  a  great  deal  more  time  than    her  husband." 

I  wish  to  say  to  my  readers  that  I  heartily 
endorse  Mrs.  Oliphant's  position.  A  man  ought 
to  consult  his  wife  about  the  house  in  which  she 
is  to  spend  more  of  her  time  than  he.  It  is  emi- 
nently proper,  right    and  just   that    he  should    do 


94  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

so ;  but  I  beg  to  call  the  attention  of  the  critic  to 
my  unfortunate  position.  Lilian  was  an  angel  (in 
my  estimation)  ;  her  mother  was  not  an  angel. 
The  daughter  was  a  mere  doll  —  I  am  writing 
after  the  lapse  of  years.  She  was  completely 
under  the  control  of  her  mother.  What  I  sus- 
pected then,  I  knew  afterwards  —  that  Mrs.  Oli- 
phant  intended  to  have  us  as  permanent  boarders. 

Mr.  Oliphant  had  long  been  running  behind- 
hand under  the  heavy  expenses  of  his  extrava- 
gant family.  Something  must  be  done  to  eke  out 
his  failing  income,  or  the  two  unmarried  daugh- 
ters could  no  longer  hold  their  position  in  society. 
They  must  dress,  or  be  banished  by  their  own 
vanity  from  the  circle  in  which  they  moved  —  a 
circle  which  contained  husbands.  They  could  not 
take  strangers  as  boarders,  for  the  house  was  not 
fit  to  accommodate  them ;  but  a  son-in-law  would 
submit  in  silence,  while  a  stranger  would  rebel. 
I  was  the  victim. 

If  I  proposed  house-keeping,  my  plan  would  be 
condemned,  as  another  boarding-place  had  been 
already.  Perhaps  I  persuaded  myself  into  the 
belief,  under  the  necessities  of  the  occasion,  that 
I  was  hiring  and  furnishing  the  English  basement 
house  as  a  pleasant  surprise    to  Lilian.     If  I    did, 


A  FAMIL  T  JAR.  95 

it  was  a  comfortable  delusion,  for  it  was  really 
only  a  scheme  to  escape  from  the.  clutches  of  my 
mother-in-law,  and  to  avoid  the  martyrdom  of  my 
situation  on  Tremont  street.  Perhaps  the  reader 
will  forgive  me  after  this  explanation.  If  he  does 
not,  it  is  not  the  worst  of  my  errors,  and  I  would 
thank  God  most  devoutly  if  I  had  no  graver  sin 
to  answer  for. 

I  told  Mrs.  Oliphant  that  I  had  hired  a  house 
which  was  rather  better  than  I  could  afford ;  that 
I  had  furnished  it  at  an  expense  which  was  beyond 
my  means,  in  order  to  please  Lilian.  I  said  some- 
thing more  about  the  "pleasant  surprise,"  and 
was  positive  that  no  bank  officer  of  my  degree 
had  so  fine  an  establishment.  I  repeated  all  I 
had  said  about  not  imposing  upon  her  self-sacrific- 
ing nature.  But  all  I  said  seemed  to  fall  flat 
upon  her  ear.  She  was  not  touched  by  my  devo- 
tion to  her  daughter  ;  on  the  contrary  she  was 
disgusted  with  me,  as  I  read  her  sentiments  in 
her  face,  for  she  did  not  utter  them. 

Lilian  felt  that  she  had  an  able  champion  in 
her  mother,  and  she  said  but  little.  Still  profess- 
ing entire  impartiality,  Mrs.  Oliphant  read  me  a 
lecture  on  the  impropriety  of  my  conduct,  fre- 
quently interpolating  the  discourse  with  the  state- 


96  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

ment  that  it  was  none  of  her  "business  though,  as 
I  had  asked  her,  advice  (which  I  had  not),  she 
felt  obliged  to  be  candid  with  me.  She  and  Lilian 
seemed  to  understand  each  other  perfectly,  and 
while  the  latter  resolutely  refused  to  occupy  the 
house  I  had  prepared  for  her  reception,  the  former 
mildly  and  often  declared  that  a  wife  should  sub- 
mit to  her  husband.  Lilian  knew  what  to  say  so 
as  not  to  implicate  her  mother  in  any  improper 
remarks.  I  think  my  wife  loved  me  almost  as 
much  as  she  feared  her  mother.  I  am  sure  that 
she  would  have  accepted  the  situation  with 
pleasure,  if  she  had  not  been  under  her  "  dear 
ma's  "  influence.    * 

What  could  I  do  ?  I  had  well-nigh  ruined  myself 
in  fitting  up  the  house.  I  was  vexed,  and  as  the 
conversation  proceeded  I  began  to  grow  impatient. 
Finally  I  left  the  house  to  buy  some  cigars,  I 
said,  but  in  reality  to  find  an  opportunity  to  think 
over  my  situation.  I  did  think  it  over,  and  1  did 
not  buy  any  cigars,  for  I  was  not  allowed  to 
smoke  them,  even  in  the  kitchen.  Lilian  would 
yield  at  once,  if  she  could  escape  her  mother's 
influence.  As  it  was,  I  must  fight  the  battle  with 
both  of  them. 

I  walked  across  the  Common,  thinking   what  I 


A  FAMILY  JAR.  97 

should  do.  If  I  submitted  this  time,  I  should  not. 
only  be  obliged  to  bear  the  privations  to  which 
the  Oliphants  subjected  themselves  in  order  to 
maintain  their  social  position,  but  I  must  forever 
be  the  willing  slave  of  "  dear  ma."  I  could  not 
endure  the  thought.  If  the  family  chose  to  live 
on  tough  beef  and  salt  fish,  it  was  their  affair, 
not  mine.  I  could  not  stand  it,  and  the  result 
of  my  deliberations  was  that  I  decided  not  to  stand 
it.  I  went  back  to  the  house,  stiffened  for  any 
thing  that  might  occur,  though  it  almost  broke 
my  heart  to  think  of  opposing  Lilian. 

u  Perhaps  the  person  who  wanted  the  house 
you  have  hired  would  be  willing  to  take  it  now, 
and  purchase  the  furniture  you  have  put  into  it  ?  " 
suggested  Mrs.  Oliphant,  when  the  subject  was 
resumed. 

Perhaps  he  would ;  but  my  idea  just  then  was 
that  he  would  not  have  the  opportunity  to  do  so. 

"I  think  not;  the  party  who  wanted  it  would 
have  furnished  it  at  half  the  expense  I  have 
incurred,"  I  replied. 

"  Couldn't  you  let  it  as  a  furnished  house  ?  " 
she  added. 

"  My  lease  does  not  permit  me  to  underlet  it." 

"  I  think  it  would  be  cruel  to  take  Lilian  away 


98  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

from  her  own  pleasant  home,  when  she  wishes  to 
remain  here  so  much,"  continued  Mrs.  Oliphant,  a 
little  more  sharply  than  she  had  yet  spoken. 
"  But,  of  course,  it  is  none  of  my  business  and  I 
do  not  wish  to  interfere  between  you." 

After  supper,  I  saw  Lilian  alone  in  our  room. 
She  was  as  resolute  as  a  little  tiger.  She  posi- 
tively refused  to  go  into  the  English  basement 
house,  or  to  have  anything  to  do  with  it. 

"I  think  you  have  insulted  my  mother,"  she 
added. 

"  Insulted  her  !  "  I  exclaimed,  rather  startled  by 
this  new  charge  which  had  evidently  been  put  into 
her  brain  by  "  dear  ma." 

"  She  has  made  her  arrangements  to  board  us, 
and  now  you  want  to  go  away." 

"  She  hasn't  made  any  arrangements  at  all. 
Not  an  article  of  furniture  has  been  added  to  the 
house." 

"  She  says  she  has  ;  and  I  think  she  knows  best," 
retorted  Lilian,  sharply. 

"  You  have  spoken  to  me  every  day  for  a  month 
about  furnishing  our  room." 

"  I  think  we  ought  to  furnish  it." 

"  And  pay  thirty  dollars  a  week  for  our  board  ! 
I  don't  think  so,u  I  replied ;   and  this  was  almost 


A  FAMILY  JAR.  99 

the  first  time  I  had  ventured  to  disagree  with  her. 

"  Mother  says  she  boards  us  cheaper  than  any 
body  else  would,"  snapped  my  pretty  one.  "  Now 
you  insult  her  for  her  kindness  to  us." 

"  I  have  already  explained  my  position  to  her. 
I  did  not  mean  to  insult  her,  and  I  don't  think 
my  conduct  will  bear  that  construction.  But, 
Lilian,  the  house  in  Needham  Street  is  all  ready 
for  us.  I  have  even  hired  a  servant  girl,  who  is 
there  now." 

"I  will  not  go  into  it,  Paley.  If  you  wish  to 
abuse  my  mother  you  can,  but  I  will  not.  I  am 
sorry  you  have  ceased  to  love  me." 

"I  have  not  ceased  to  love  you,  Lilian,"  I 
replied,  putting  my  arm  around  her  neck 
and  kissing  her. 

Then  I  went  over  the  whole  argument  again, 
and  if  I  did  not  convince  her  that  I  had  not 
insulted  or  wronged  her  mother,  it  was  because 
her  fears  set  logic  at  naught. 

"  You  will  sell  the  furniture,  and  give  up  the 
house — won't  you,  Paley  ?  "  said  she,  in  her  most 
fascinating  way. 

"  I  would  if  I  could  Lilian,  but  the  die  is  cast.  I 
must  go,  or  I  am  ruined.  " 

Suddenly,  in  a  fit  of  passion,  she  shook  my  arm 
from  her  neck  and  shrunk  from  me. 


100  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  For  the  last  time,  Paley,  I  say  it,  I  will  never 
go  into  that  house,"  said  she,  angrily. 

"  I  am  sorry,  Lilian,"  I  replied,  sadly.  "  You  do 
not  act  like  the  loving  wife  you  have  always  been." 

"  I  will  not  be  insulted  any  longer." 

"  Very  well,  Lihan;  I  am  going  to  move  into 
the  new  house  to-morrow." 

"  What !  "  exclaimed  she,  aghast,  for  she  evi- 
dently did  not  believe  me  capable  of  such  rebel- 
lion. 

"  I  shall  go  to  the  new  house  to-morrow,  after 
bank  hours.  If  you  will  not  go  with  me,  I  can- 
not help    it ;  and  I  must  go  alone." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  will  desert 
me  ?  "  gasped  she. 

"  Lilian,  I  will  not  pretend  to  say  that  what  I 
have  done  is  right,  though  I  did  it  to  please  you.  I 
have  provided  you  a  house  much  better  than  the 
home  of  your  parents.  I  have  done  everything  I 
could  to  make  it  comfortable  and  pleasant.  I  am 
sorry  I  did  this  without  your  knowledge,  but  it 
is  done,  and  cannot  be  undone.  If  you  will  live 
in  the  house  for  a  year  or  so,  and  then  are  not 
happy,  I  will  leave  it.  I  can  do  no  more  to 
please  you." 

"  I  will  not  move  into  it !  "  said  she,  more  bit- 
terly than  ever. 


A  FAMIL  T  JAR.  101 

I  went  out  of  the  house,  and  walked  the  streets 
till  eleven  o'clock  at  night  in  utter  misery.  I 
returned  home.  Lilian  told  me  ever  so  many 
things  her  mother  had  said,  and  was  firmer  than 
ever.  The  next  morning  when  I  went  to  the 
bank,  I  felt  like  a  hopeless  martyr. 

"  Mr.  Bristlebach  wishes  to  see  you  in  the  di- 
rector's room,  Mr.  Glass  wood,"  said  the  messenger 
to  me. 

The  president  looked  stern  when  I  entered  the 
room,  and  I  realized  that  some  charge  was  pend- 
ing against  me. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

A   SHADOW   OF   SUSPICION. 

I  HAD  not  sinned  against  the  bank  in  thought, 
word,  or  deed,  and  I  had  no  fears  of  the 
result  of  an  interview  with  the  president.  All 
my  sorrows  related  to  my  domestic  difficulty, 
which  was  hardly  banished  from  my  mind  for  a 
moment,  though  I  did  try  to  imagine  what  Mr. 
Bristlebach  could  possibly  want  of  me.  Whatever 
pecuniary  trouble  stared  me  in  the  face,  I  had 
never  even  been  tempted  to  appropriate  a  penny 
belonging  to  the  bank. 

"  Mr.  Glasswood,  I  have    sent    for    you,"    said 
Mr.  Bristlebach,  sternly. 

"  Yes,  sir ;  and    I    am    here,"    I    replied,    very 
respectfully. 

"  When  did  you  balance  your  cash  last  ?" 

"Yesterday  afternoon." 

"  Did  it  come  out  right  ?  "   . 

"  Yes,  sir,"  I   replied,    with    the    utmost    confi- 
dence. 

"  Close  the  door,  if  you  please." 

102 


A  •  SHADO  W  OF  SUSPICION.  103 

I  did  so,  and  though  Mr.  Bristlebach  did  not 
often  take  the  trouble  to  spare  anjr  one's  feelings, 
this  order  looked  ominous  to  me.  I  would  give 
all  my  earthly  hopes  at  this  moment  for  the  con- 
sciousness of  the  rectitude  of  my  character  which 
I  possessed  at  that  time.  I  shut  the  door,  and 
took  my  stand  again  in  the  august  presence  of 
the  great  man — he  was  great  to  me,  if  he  was  not 
to  others. 

"  Mr.  Glasswood !  "  continued  Mr.  Bristlebach, 
sternly. 

I  bowed  meekly,  to  intimate  that  I  was  ready 
to- hear  anything  he  pleased  to  say. 

44  Your  cash  is  not  right." 

"It  was  right  yesterday,  at  three  o'clock,"  I 
answered. 

"If  it  was  right  at  three,  it  was  not  at  five. 
I  advise  you,  Mr.  Glasswood,  to  make  no  denials 
to  any  statement  which  you  know  to  be  true. 
You  are  a  defaulter,  sir  !  " 

Troubles  never  come  singly.  It  was  not  enough 
that  I  should  quarrel  with  my  angelic  wife,  but  I 
must  cross  swords  with  Mr.  Bristlebach,  who  was 
far  from  angelic.  I  might  as  well  find  the  deep 
water  off  Long  Wharf  and  drown  myself.  What 
would  Lilian  say  if  I  did  ?     Would  she  care  ?    Or 


104  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

would  she  be  only  shocked?  Bad  as  it  was,  the 
affair  at  the  bank  did  not  seem  half  so  desperate 
as  the  quarrel  with  Lilian.  I  bowed  my  head 
meekly  to  Mr.  Bristlebach's  charge.  I  was  inno- 
cent, and  it  did  not  make  much  difference  to  me 
what  the  president  said.  Under  the  shadow  as  I 
was  of  a  heavier  woe  than  this,  it  really  did  not 
seem  worth  while  to  defend  myself. 

"  I  say  you  are  a  defaulter,  Mr.  Glass  wood," 
repeated  the  president,  more  severely  than  before. 

"No,  sir,  I  am  not,"  I  answered,  very  mildly. 

"  Have  you  the  effrontery  to  deny  the  charge  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  I  have." 

"  You  have  robbed  the  bank  of  twelve  hundred 
dollars,  at  least;  and  how  much  more  I  don't 
know." 

"No,  sir ;  I  have  not  robbed  the  bank  of  twelve 
hundred  dollars ;  nor  of  even  a  single  cent." 

"  I  am  surprised  that  you  should  have  the  hard- 
ihood to  deny  the  charge.  Shall  I  call  on  your 
uncle,  who  is  one  of  your  bondsmen  ?  " 

"  If  you  please,  I  do  not  object,"  I  replied  ; 
and  I  think  I  should  not  have  objected  to  any 
thing. 

"  Perhaps  you  will  make  the  bank  good  your- 
self?" sneered  Mr.  Bristlebach. 


A  SHADOW  OF  SUSPICION.  105 

"I  don't  owe  the  bank  a  penny,  sir." 

"Mr.  Glasswood  —  sit  down!" 

I  sat  down. 

"  Listen  to  me,  sir !  "    - 

I  listened. 

"  I  have  worked  up  the  case,  and  understand  it 
perfectly.  I  am  informed  that  three  or  four  weeks 
ago  you  had  in  your  pocket  several  hundred  dol- 
lars—  perhaps  a  thousand  dollars  or  more,"  con- 
tinued Mr.  Bristlebach,  whose  looks  as  well  as  his 
words  were  intended  to  carry  confusion  to  my 
soul.  "  Will  you  do  me  the  favor  to  say  whether 
or  not  this  statement  is  true  ?  " 

"  Quite  true,  sir.  The  sum  in  my  pocket-book 
was  one  thousand  dollars,"  I  replied,  beginning  to 
gather  up  a  little  light  on  the  subject. 

"A  thousand  dollars!  Very  well,  sir!  I  am 
glad  you  have  not  the  effrontery  to  deny  it.  Bank 
officers  in  your  situation  do  not  usually  carry  a 
thousand  dollars  about  with  them." 

"I  do,  when  I  have  it  to  carry,  sir." 
"  Don't  be  impudent,  Mr.  Glasswood.     Will  you 
deny  that  this  sum  was  abstracted  from  the  funds 
of  the  bank  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  shall  deny  it,  sir.  Did  Mr.  Shay  top 
inform  you  that  I  had  taken  it  from  the   bank  ?  " 


106  LIVING  TOO  FAST, 

"Who  said  anything  about  Mr.  Shay  top?  "  de- 
manded he,  sternly. 

"I  did,  sir.  It  is  not  very  manly  in  him  to 
accuse  me  of  stealing  simply  because  I  refused  to 
hire  any  more  teams  of  him.  Since  I  was  married 
I  have  found  it  necessary  to  curtail  my  expenses." 

"Do  not  attempt  to  dodge  the  issue,  sir." 

"  I  am  ready  to  look  the  issue  fairly  in  the 
face." 

"  You  had  this  money.     You  confess  it." 

"  I  affirm  it.     I  don't  confess  it." 

"Since  you  had  it,  perhaps  you  will  not  deem 
it  impertinent  in  me  to  ask  where  you  got  it?" 
sneered  Mr.  Bristlebach,  who  seemed  to  be  as  cer- 
tain that  I  had  robbed  the  bank  as  though  he 
had  already  proved  the  charge. 

"  Under  the  circumstances,  sir,  I  should  not 
deem  it  impertinent,"  I  replied  coolly ;  and,  under 
the  influence  of  my  domestic  trouble,  I  felt  rather 
reckless. 

"  Well,  sir,  where  did  you  get  it  ?  " 

"  I   borrowed  it." 

"  Precisely  so  !     Borrowed  it  of  the  bank  !  " 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  Mr.  Bristlebach,  but  there 
is  a  wide  gulf  between  my  premise  and  your  con- 
clusion.    I  did  not  borrow  the  money  of  the  bank. 


A  SHADOW  OF  SUSPICION.  107 

If  I  had,  doubtless  the  paper  I  offered  would  have 
passed  under  your  eyes." 

"  Mr.  Glass  wood,  your  tone  and  manner  do  not 
please  me." 

"  I  hope  you  will  excuse  me,  sir,  if  I  venture 
to  say  that  the  charge  you  make  against  me  does 
not  please  me." 

"  Will  you  tell  me  of  whom  you  borrowed  the 
money  ?  " 

"  With  pleasure,  sir.     Of  my  Aunt  Rachel." 

Mr.  Bristlebach  looked  at  me  ;  looked  sharply 
at  me.  He  seemed  to  be  a  little  staggered  at 
something,  though,  of  course,  I  did  not  suppose 
he  believed  me.  He  asked  me  twenty  questions 
about  my  aunt,  all  of  which  I  answered  with  a 
greater  regard  for  the  truth  than  I  was  sometimes 
in  the  habit  of  paying  to  that  sublime  virtue. 

44  Mr.  Glasswood,  your  cash  is  twelve  hundred 
dollars  short,"  he  added. 

44 1  was  not  aware  of  the  fact,"  I  replied. 

44  After  you  went  away  yesterday,  I  made  a 
strict  examination  of  your  department,  and  you 
have  heard  the  result." 

I  was  surprised  at  the  announcement,  and  of 
course  I  could  not  disprove  the  assertion. 

44 1  can  only  say,  sir,  that  I  left  it  right  at  three 
o'clock  yesterday,"  I  added. 


108  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  Do  you  doubt  my  statement  ?  " 

"  Certainly  not,  sir ;  but  I  do  not  understand 
it." 

"  The  fact  that  you  had  a  thousand  dollars,  or 
any  large  sum  about  you,  and  that  you  recklessly 
exhibited  it  in  the  dining-room  of  a  hotel,  was 
quite  enough  to  excite  my  suspicions." 

"  If  I  had  stolen  the  money,  I  think  I  should 
not  have  been  so  stupid  as  to  exhibit  it.  If  I 
know  myself,  I  should  not." 

"But  you  did  show  it." 

"  I  did  show  it ;  but  it  was  not  stolen." 

"  I  think  it  was  ;  and  when  I  heard  of  the  cir- 
cumstances, I  spent  my  afternoon  here  in  making 
the  investigation.  Perhaps  you  can  put  me  in  the 
way  of  verifying  your  statement  that  you  borrowed 
the  money  of  your  aunt  ?  " 

"  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  do  so.  My  aunt  lives 
in  Springhaven.     She  will  show  you  my  note." 

"  Even  if  she  does  show  me  your  note,  and  it 
is  fully  proved  that  you  borrowed  a  thousand  dol- 
lars of  her,  that  will  not  explain  how  your  cash 
happens  to  be  twelve  hundred  dollars  short." 

"  Perhaps  I  can  explain  that  myself,  if  you  will 
allow  me  to  examine  my  drawer,"  I  replied. 

Just  then  a  light  flashed  through  my  mind,  and 


A  SHADOW  OF  SUSPICION.  109 

I  recalled  an  incident  which  had  occurred  just 
after  the  closing  of  the  bank  on  the  preceding 
day,  which  my  private  griefs  had  driven  out  of 
my  head.  I  understood  it  all  then,  and  I  was 
satisfied  that  I  should  utterly  confound  Mr.  Bris- 
tlebach,  though  I  was,  at  the  same  time,  in  dan- 
ger of  confounding  the  cashier.  But  the  clock 
was  striking  nine,  and  it  was  time  to  open  the 
bank.  There  was  not  time  to  count  the  cash 
again,  and  I  did  not  care  to  expose  a  little  irreg- 
ularity on  the  part  of  the  cashier,  by  telling  what 
I  knew. 

Mr.  Bristlebach  bit  his  lips  and  looked  at  the 
clock.  Through  the  glass  windows  of  the  direc- 
tors' room,  he  saw  a  man  come  in  with  a  check 
in  his  hand.  He  was  evidently  deliberating  upon 
the  propriety  of  permitting  me  to  discharge  my 
duties  for  the  forenoon.  We  were  one  hand  short, 
and  there  was  no  one  to  take  my  place. 

"  Mr.  Glass  wood,  you  will  not  go  out  of  the 
bank,  even  for  a  moment,  until  this  matter  is  set- 
tled. Go  to  your  place,  and  as  soon  as  the  bank 
closes,  we  will  count  the  cash  again  in  your  pres- 
ence." 

I  went  to  my  station,  after  taking  my  drawer 
from   the   safe.     I  was  now   not   quite  willing   to 


110  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

believe  that  the  president  considered  ine  guilty. 
If  he  did,  he  would  not  trust  me  with  the  funds 
of  the  bank,  though  he  had  forbidden  me  to  leave 
the  building.  I  proceeded  in  the  discharge  of  my 
duties  as  usual,  but  I  soon  discovered  that  the 
eyes  of  my  superiors  were  upon  me,  and  if  I  had 
been  disposed  to  indulge  in  a  coup  dC  etat,  I  was 
too  closely  watched  to  permit  it   to   be  a  success. 

Within  half  an  hour  after  the  opening  of  the 
bank,  the  cashier  handed  me  twelve  hundred  dol- 
lars in  payment  for  a  draft,  which  had  been  placed 
in  my  keeping,  and  which  I  had  deposited  in  the 
safe.  Just  after  the  bank  closed  the  day  before, 
he  had  accommodated  a  friend  from  my  depart- 
ment, by  giving  him  the  cash  for  this  draft  on  a 
bank,  which,  for  some  reasons  best  known  to  its 
officers,  declined  to  pay  it  after  bank  hours.  It  is 
not  for  me  to  discuss  the  propriety  of  this  action 
on  the  part  of  my  superior.  It  was  irregular, 
and  the  cashier  was  personally  responsible  for  his 
conduct.  The  draft  had  been  handed  to  me,  and 
I  included  it  in  my  cash  in  balancing. 

I  learned  that  the  cashier  had  not  been  present 
when  the  president  counted  my 'cash.  The  book- 
keeper and  receiving  teller  had  assisted  him,  and 
as  the  draft  was  not  in  my   drawer,   the    amount 


A  SHADOW  OF  SUSPICION \  \\\ 

appeared  to  be  a  deficit  on  my  part.  It  was  very 
strange  to  me  that  I  did  not  think  of  this  transaction 
sooner. 

Perhaps  if  my  family  trouble  had  not  perplexed 
me,  I  should  have  done  so.  But  it  came  to  my 
mind  soon  enough  to  correct  the  impression  in  the 
mind  of  the  president,  if  I  had  not  chosen  to  suffer 
rather  than  betray  the  irregularity  of  my  superior. 

"  That  makes  it  all  right,"  said  the  cashier,  as 
he  slipped  the  bills  into  my  drawer,    rather  slyly. 

"I'm  afraid  not,  Mr.  Heavyside,"  I  replied,  in 
a  low  tone,  for  Mr.  Bristlebach  seemed  to  be  all 
eyes  and  ears  on  this  forenoon. 

"What  do  you. mean,  Glasswood?"  he  asked. 

"  What  time  did  you  leave  the  bank  yesterday?  " 

"  About  three.  I  went  out  to  ride  with  my 
wife." 

"  Where  do  you  get  your  teams  ?  " 

"  Of  Shaytop.     Why  do  you  ask?  " 

"  My  cash  was  examined  yesterday  afternoon, 
after  both  of  us  left ;  and  I  am  charged  with  a 
deficit  of  twelve  hundred  dollars." 

"  Whew !  "  whistled  Heavyside,  more  alarmed 
than  I  was. 

He  stood  by  my  side  at  the  counter  while  I  told 
him  that  Shaytop  "had  put  a  flea  into  the  ear  of 
the  president"  on  my  account. 


112  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  The  scoundrel !  I  will  never  drive  another  of 
his  teams  !  "  exclaimed  the  cashier. 

Shaytop  was  not  likely  to  make  much  by  his 
snivelling  operation,  which  was  too  mean  for  any 
gentleman  to  appreciate.  There  was  no  ground 
for  a  charge  against  me,  and  I  think  the  stable- 
keeper  made  it  out  of  pure  malice. 

"I  said  nothing  to  Mr.  Bristlebach  about  the 
draft,"  I  continued;  "and  he  still  thinks  the  cash 
is  twelve  hundred  dollars  short." 

"  This  is  bad,"  said  he,  biting  his  lips  with  vex- 
ation. 

I  paid  a  check,  and  the  cashier  walked  away  to 
his  desk.  I  saw  that  he  was  much  disturbed.  He 
was  an  honest  man,  in  the  ordinary  sense  of  the 
word,  and  the  worst  which  could  be  said  of  the 
transaction  in  which  he  was  implicated  was  that 
it  was  simply  irregular.     He  came  to  me  again  soon. 

"  Although  this  affair  amounts  to  nothing  at  all, 
it  will  cost  me  my  situation,  and  perhaps  my  rep- 
utation, if  the  president  knows  of  it,"  said  he. 

"  He  shall  not  know  of  it  through  me,"  I  replied. 

"  Thank  you,  Glass  wood,"  he  added,  warmly; 
but  the  conversation  was  interrupted  so  that  noth- 
ing more  was  said  on  the  subject. 

Mr.  Bristlebach  was  a  very  particular  man,  but 


A  SHADOW  OF  SUSPICION.  113 

I  do  not  complain  of  him  on  this  account.  It 
was  proper  and  right  that  he  should  be  very  exact, 
and  even  very  exacting,  in  his  requirements. 
Though  Mr.  Heavyside  had  no  intention  of  defraud- 
ing the  bank  of  a  single  dollar,  he  was  imprudent. 
I  believe  he  did  not  realize  the  nature  of  the  act 
when  he  obliged  his  friend  out  of  the  funds  of 
the  institution.  I  was  fully  satisfied  in  regard  to 
his  integrity,  and  I  was  more  disposed  to  suffer 
myself  than  to  excite  a  suspicion  against  him. 

I  am  willing  now  to  acknowledge  that  my  posi- 
tion was  wrong.  The  truth  should  have  been  told 
in  the  beginning.  Mr.  Heavyside  might  have  been 
censured,  as  doubtless  he  ought  to  have  been,  but 
I  do  not  think  he  would  have  been  discharged. 
If  he  had  been,  perhaps  the  tendency  would  have 
been  to  make  bank  officers  more  circumspect,  more 
inflexible  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties.  It  is 
not  safe  to  step  over  the  straight  line  of  duty 
even  for  a  moment,  for  there  is  no  knowing  how 
far  one  may  wander  on  the  wrong  side  of  it. 

If  this  incident  did  not  injure  him,  it  paved  the 
way  for  me  to  take  a  long  stride  down  the  road 
to  ruin.  When  he  consented  to  be  sheltered  from 
the  displeasure  of  the  president  by  the  cunning  of 
his  subordinate,  he  placed  himself,  to  some  extent, 
8 


HI  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

in  my  power.  A  superior  should  never  sacrifice 
his  dignity  before  a  subordinate,  and  should  never 
place  himself  in  the  attitude  of  dependence  upon 
him. 

The  business  of  the  bank  went  on  as  usual. 
My  griefs  at  home  had  robbed  me  of  my  appetite, 
and  I  had  taken  no  breakfast.  I  was  not  permitted 
to  go  out  for  a  lunch,  and  when  the  doors  were 
closed  my  empty  stomach  and  my  sleepless  night 
had  produced  an  effect  upon  me.  I  was  pale  and 
faint,  but  I  was  too  proud  to  say  anything,  and 
my  looks  told  against  me.  I  could  hardly  stand 
up,  and  doubtless  Mr.  Bristlebach  thought  he  saw 
in  my  wan  features  and  trembling  frame  abundant 
evidences  of  my  guilt.     He  looked  triumphant. 

The  examination  of  my  department  was  com- 
menced at  once.  The  checks  paid  were  called  off, 
and  the  bills  counted.  To  the  intense  astonish- 
ment of  the  president,  and,  I  am  sorry  to  add,  to 
his  intense  chagrin  also,  the  balance  came  out  all 
right.  There  was  not  a  dollar  missing.  Two 
counts  gave  the  same  result.  Mr.  Bristlebach  was 
compelled  to  give  it  up.  I  persisted  that  my 
account  had  been  squared  the  day  before,  but  I 
suggested  that  some  papers  had  been  laid  upon  a 
few   odd    bills    which    had   probably   escaped    his 


A  SHADOW  OF  SUSPICION.  H5 

notice    in    counting  —  if    I   had   been   present   the  t 
mistake  could  not  have  occurred. 

The  president  stumbled  through  something  which 
he  intended  for  an  apology ;  and  while  he  was 
doing  so,  I  absolutely  fainted  away  from  sheer 
exhaustion.  Mr.  Bristlebach  was  not  a  bad  man, 
and  I  am  sure  he  regretted  his  inconsiderate  accu- 
sation. I  told  him  I  was  not  very  well,  and  that 
the  satisfactory  result  of  the  investigation  was  all  I 
desired.  I  did  not  blame  him.  I  thanked  him 
for  his  fairness,  and  all  that  sort  of  thing.  From 
that  moment  he  had  more  confidence  in  me  than 
ever  —  and  Shaytop  lost  another  customer. 

A  cup  of  coffee  and.  a  beefsteak  set  me  right, 
and  I  started  for  my  miserable  home.  I  was 
thinking  of  meeting  Lilian,  when  my  uncle,  Captain 
Halliard,  stopped  me  in  the  street. 

"  By  the  way,  didn't  I  let  you  have  three  hun- 
dred dollars  some  months  ago  ?"  said  he. 

"  I  think  you  did,"  I  replied,  blandly. 

He  wanted  to  talk  with  me,  and  led  the  way 
into  an  insurance  office. 


CHAPTER     VIII. 

COMING   TO   THE  POINT. 

I  WAS  not  pleased  at  the  meeting,  and  ventured 
to  suggest  that  I  had  important  business  at 
home  ;  but  my  uncle  gently  dragged  me  into  the 
insurance  office.  It  was  not  pleasant  to  see  him  just 
then,  and  for  several  weeks  I  had  avoided  him, 
so  far  as  it  was  practicable  to  do  so.  Captain 
Halliard  was  a  rich  man,  and  it  could  not  possi- 
bly make  any  difference  to  him  whether  or  not  I 
paid  the  money  I  owed  him.  But  I  knew  that  he 
was  exacting. 

" 1  think  you  said  you  did  borrow  three  hun- 
dred dollars  of  me,"  said  my  uncle,  as  he  seated 
himself  at  the  long  table  and  took  out  his  pocket- 
book,  evidently  for  the  purpose  of  finding  the 
note. 

"  There  is  no  doubt  about  it,"  I  replied,  with 
what  self-possession  I  could  command. 

"  Just  so  ;  I  had  forgotten  the  particulars,"  he 
continued,  as  he  took  the  note  from  the  papers  in 
his  pocket-book. 

116 


COMING  TO  THE  POINT.  1JJ 

He  might  as  well  have  told  me  that  I  had  forgot- 
ten it,  as  that  he  had ;  but  I  am  sorry  to  say 
that  both  of  us  had  a  bad  habit  of  pretending  not 
to  remember  what,  from  the  nature  of  the  case, 
must  have  been  uppermost  in  the  mind.  It  was  a 
stupid  and  ridiculous  affectation.  My  creditors 
were  often  in  my  mind,  and  I  am  sure  his  debtors 
were  as  faithfully  remembered. 

"  I  am  not  prepared  to  pay  the  note  just  now," 
I  began,  with  more  candor  than  I  generally  used. 

"But,  Paley,  it  is  three  or  four  months  since  I 
lent  you  the  money  ,•  and  you  promised  to  pay  it 
in  a  few  weeks."" 

His  memory  was  improving  wonderfully. 

"  I  have  just  furnished  my  house,  uncle,  and 
that  cost  me  a   good    deal  of  money,"  I   pleaded. 

"  But  you  got  trusted  for  that,"  said  he, 
sharply. 

"  For  only  a  small  portion  of  it,"  I  answered, 
wondering  how  he  could  know  that  I  owed  any 
thing. 

"  Paley,  how  much  do  you  owe  ?  "  he  demanded. 

"  O,  only  a  few  hundred  dollars  !  I  don't  know 
precisely  how  much,  but  not  more  than  I  can  pay 
in  a  short  time." 

"  I'm  glad  to  hear  it,"  replied  he,  rather  dryly. 
"In  how  short  a  time?" 


118  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"In  a  few  weeks." 

"  That  won't  do.  When  I  lend  money  to  any 
one  I  expect  him  to  pay  me,  whether  friend  or 
foe,  in  the  family  or  out  of  it.  I'm  afraid  you 
are  getting  along  a  little  too   fast." 

"  I  don't  think  so." 

"  Your  wife  is  rather  extravagant,^- I'm   told." 

"I  don't  think  so." 

"  Where  have  you  taken  a  house." 

"  In  Needham  street." 

"  Humph!     What  do  you  pay  for  it?" 

"  Six  hundred  dollars." 

"  Six  hundred  dollars  !  "  exclaimed  he,  leaping 
to  his  feet. 

"  A  very  moderate  rent  for  the  house,"  I  added, 
not  at  all  pleased  at  what  I  considered  the  impu- 
dence of  my   uncle. 

"  That  is  more  than  I  pay,  Paley.  I'm  aston- 
ished !  " 

"  I  think  it  is  a  fair  rent." 

"  I  don't  think  so.  What  did  it  cost  you  to 
furnish  it?;'  he  continued,  fixing  a  severe  gaze 
upon  me. 

44  About  eight  hundred  dollars,"  I  answered, 
not  deeming  it  prudent  to  give  more  than  half  of 
the  actual  cost. 


COMING  TO  THE  POINT.  H9 

"  You  are  crazy,  Paley !  You  will  run  yourself 
out  in  a  couple  of  years,  at  this  rate.  Eight  hun- 
dred dollars !  When  I  was  married  I  didn't  spend 
a  hundred  dollars  on  my  house.  Paley,  I  will 
give  you  three  days  to  pay  this  note.  If  you  don't 
do  it  in  that  time,  I  shall  do  the  next  thing." 

"  What's  the  next  thing  ?  "  I  asked,  indignantly. 

"  I'll  trustee  your  salary  !  " 

"  You  needn't  trouble  yourself  about  the  little 
sum  I  owe  you ;  I  will  pay  you,"  I  replied,  ris- 
ing and  walking  towards  the  door.  ""  The  next 
time  I  have  occasion  to  ask  a  favor,  I  shall  not  go 
to  a  relation." 

Doubtless  he  regarded  this  as  a  very  savage 
threat,  though  perhaps  he  did  not  think  its  exe- 
cution involved  any  great  hardship  on  his  own 
part.  I  walked  out  of  the  insurance  office  with  a 
degree  of  dignity  and  self-possession  which  would 
have  been  creditable  in  a  bank  president.  My 
uncle  must  be  paid.  There  was  no  doubt  of  that. 
I  would  not  be  thorned  by  him  for  all  the  money 
in  the  world,  for  he  was  a  very  uncomfortable 
sort  of  man  to  a  debtor,  and  very  obstinately 
insisted  on  collecting  his  dues. 

It  was  patent  to  me  that  some  one  had  been 
talking    to    Captain   Halliard.     Perhaps   that   mis- 


120 


LIVING  TOO  FAST. 


chievous  stable-keeper  had  been  in  communication 
with  him ;  and  it  was  possible  that  my  friend 
Buckleton  had  mentioned  the  trivial  circumstance 
that  I  owed  him  eight  hundred  dollars.  It  was 
not  impossible  that  Mr.  Bristlebach  and  my  uncle 
had  been  discussing  my  affairs.  They  were  inti- 
mate acquaintances,  and  the  captain  did  business 
at  the   Forty-ninth. 

I  must  pay  Captain  Halliard,  or  there  would  be 
a  tempest  about  me  at  once.  Not  that  he  would 
trustee  my  salary,  or  anything  of  that  kind;  for 
this  was  only  a  hint   that  he   would   mention  the 

matter  to  the  presi- 
dent of  our  bank.  I 
must  pay  him,  but 
how  to  do  so,  was  a 
matter  about  which 
I  could  not  ven- 
ture an  opinion.  I 
had  little  money,  and 
I  had  already  bled 
my  friends  as  much 
Tom.  riynn.  as  it  was  prudent  to 

bleed  them.  I  must  "  raise  the  wind,"  or  go 
under.  I  walked  up  State  Street,  trying  to  think 
who  should   suffer  next  for  my  sins,  when   I  met 


COMING  TO  THE  POINT.  121 

Tom  Flynn.  We  never  passed  each  other  with- 
out stopping  to  speak,  though  we  stood  side  by 
side  in  the  bank  during  business  hours.  I  saw 
that  he  looked  embarrassed,  and  it  flashed  upon 
my  mind  before  he  opened  his  mouth  that  he 
wanted  his  money,  and  that  he  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  ask  me  for  it.  I  did  not  regard  it  as 
proper  for  him  to  do  so. 

"  Tom,  I'm  glad  to  see  you,"  I  began.  "  I 
wanted  to  meet  you." 

"  That's  just  my  case.  I  was  going  down  to 
the  bank  to  find  you,  after  calling  upon  you  at 
Mr.  Oliphant's.  I  wanted  to  see  you  very  badly  ;  " 
and  the  honest  fellow  looked  more  embarrassed 
than  ever. 

"  Well,  that's  a  coincidence,"  I  replied,  deem- 
ing it  my  duty  to  spare  him  any  unnecessary 
embarrassment.  "  I  have  just  had  a  call  for  a  lit- 
tle money  I  owe,  and  it  was  not  convenient  for 
me  to  pay  it.  It  was  awkward,  because  I  have  a 
habit  of  paying  up  all  these  little  things  at  sight, 
even  if  I  have  to  borrow  the  money  to  do  so.  I 
shall  be  flush  in  three  or  four  days,  but  I  dislike 
to  make  this  particular  fellow  wait.  Could  you 
lend  me  a  hundred  dollars  till  Monday?  " 

"I  am  very  sorry,  Paley,"  replied  the  poor  fel- 


122  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

low,  the  wind  all  taken  out  of  his  sails.  "  The 
fact  is,  I'm  short  myself." 

"  O,  well,  never  mind  it.  I'm  sorry  I  said  any 
thing,"  I  continued. 

"  There  was  no  harm  in  saying  it  to  me," 
laughed  he,  apparently  more  troubled  at  my  neces- 
sity than  his  own.  "  I  had  a  chance  fco  buy  some 
stock  at  a  low  figure,  if  I  could  raise  the  money 
to-day,  so  that  the  owner  can  leave  to-night  for 
New  York.  I  am  one  hundred  short  of  the  amount 
required;  but  no  matter;  let  it  go." 

"  I'm  sorry  I  haven't  the  amount  about  me,"  I 
replied,  with  a  troubled  look.  "  Perhaps  I  can 
raise  it  for  you." 

"  O,  no  !  I  don't  want  you  to  do  that.  You 
said  you  should  be  flush  in  a  few  days." 

"  Yes ;  I  shall  have  some  money  on  Monday." 

"Well,  then,  Paley,  since  you  can't,  help  me 
out,  I  can  help  you  out,"  said  the  noble  fellow, 
with  a  generous  smile.  "  I  can't  buy  my  stock, 
and  you  may  as  well  have  the  money  as  to  let  it 
remain  idle." 

"  Thank  you,  Tom,"  I  replied,  warmly. 

"  You  said  a  hundred  dollars,"  he  continued, 
stepping  into  a  doorway  and  drawing  out  his 
wallet. 


COMING  TO  THE  POINT  123 

"  I  said  a  hundred  dollars,  but  only  because  I 
had  not  the  cheek  to  mention  more.  I  must  raise 
three  hundred  to-morrow  —  but  only  till  Monday 
you  know." 

"Three  hundred,"  said  he  musing.  "I  think  I 
can  help  you  out." 

"  Thank  you,  Tom.  Next  Monday  I  will  pay 
you  this  and  the  other  hundred  I  owe  you.  And 
by  the  way,  I  had  quite  forgotten  that  you  held 
my  note." 

"  It's  of  no  consequence.  I  haven't  wanted  it- 
very  badly.  But  I  have  a  chance  to  invest  what 
little  I  possess  next  week,  and  if  I  can  get  it  then 
it  will  suit  me  better  than  to  receive  it  now." 

"  You  shall  have  the  wh&le  next  Monday,  with- 
out fail,"  I  replied,  though  I  had  no  more  idea 
where  the  money  was  to  come  from  than  I  had  of 
the  source  of  the  Nile. 

"  That  will  fit  my  case  exactly." 

"  We  will  step  into  the  bank,  and  I  will  give 
you  a  note." 

Every  body  had  left  the  bank  except  the  mes- 
senger, and  I  wrote  the  note.  I  had  the  three 
hundred  dollars  in  my  fist.  I  was  intent  upon 
taking  the  sting  out  of  my  uncle's  tongue.  I 
meant  to  overwhelm  him  by  paying  my  note  before 


124  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

I  slept.  I  parted  with  Tom  in  the  street,  and 
hastened  to  the  insurance  office,  where  I  had  left 
Captain  Halliard.  I  found  him  tipped  back  in  his 
chair  in  the  inner  room,  talking  with  Mr.  Bristle- 
bach.  1  suspected  that  my  case  was  the  subject 
of  their  discussion.  « 

"Is  that  you,  Paley?"  called  my  uncle,  as  I 
made  a  movement  to   retire. 

"Yes,  sir;  but  I  won't  trouble  you  now,  if  you 
are  engaged,"  I  replied. 

"  Come  in ;  we  were  talking  about  you,  Mr. 
Glasswood,  said  the  president.  "I  was  just  telling 
your  uncle  how  well  satisfied  I  am  with  you." 

"  Thank  you,  sir.  I  am  very  much  obliged  to 
you  for  your  good  opinion,  and  I  hope  I  shall 
always  merit  it,"  I  added,  with  becoming  mod- 
esty. 

"Do  you  wish  to  see  me,  Paley?"  asked  my 
uncle. 

"  Only  for  a  moment,  sir ;  but  I  will  wait  till 
you  are  at  leisure." 

Mr.  Bristlebach  took  his  hat  and  left  the  office, 
saying  he  had  no  particular  business  with  my 
uncle. 

"  The  president  of  the  Forty-Ninth  speaks  well 
of  you,    Paley,"    said    my  uncle,    good-naturedly. 


COMING  TO  THE  POINT.  125 

"  I  was  glad  to  hear  it,  for  I  had  a  hint  that  you 
were  going  a  little  too  fast.  Bristlebach  and  I 
talked  the  matter  over  yesterday." 

"  I'm  glad  you  found  it  all  right.  Have  you  my 
note  in  your  pocket  now?"  I  continued,  rather 
stiffly. 

«  Yes,  I  have  it." 

I  drew  my  wallet,  and  took  out  the  three  hun- 
dred dollars  I  had  just  borrowed. 

"  You  needn't  trouble  yourself  about  that  just 
now,"  said  he,  laughing. 

u  I  don't  like  to  be  driven  into  so  close  a  cor- 
ner as  you  put  me  into  a  little  while  ago.  Here  is 
the  amount  of  the  note,  with  the  interest." 

"  What  I  said  was  spoken  under  a  misapprehen- 
sion. You  needn't  pay  the  note  till  you  get 
ready." 

"  I  am  ready  now,  uncle." 

"  Of  course,  I  don't  object  to  taking  the  money  ; 
but  I  didn't  mean  to  press  you." 

"  Didn't  you,  indeed  ?  You  gave  me  three  days 
to  pay  the  note,  and  threatened  to  trustee  my  sal- 
ary if  it  was  not  paid  in  that  time.  If  that  was 
not  pressing  me,  I  took  it  as  a  gentle  hint.  If  I 
don't  know  any  better  than  to  borrow  money  of 
my  relations  another  time,  I  ought  to  be  hung  for 
being  a  fool." 


126  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  I  am  sorry  now  that  I  said  any  thing,  Paley. 
I  will  take  it  all  back." 

"  Take  principal  and  interest  also,  and  I  shall 
be  satisfied." 

It  was  not  in  his  nature  to  refuse  money  under 
any  circumstances.  He  gave  up  my  note  and 
pocketed  the  amount.  It  is  quite  probable  that 
he  wondered  where  I  had  obtained  the  funds  so 
readily,  and  he  even  hinted  at  a  desire  to  be  en- 
lightened on  the  subject.  Perhaps  he  would  sus- 
pect that  I  had  taken  them  from  the  vault  of  the 
bank;  but  if  he  consulted  Mr.  Bristlebach  on  the 
matter,  the  messenger  could  inform  him  that  the 
vault  had  not  been  opened  during  my  last  visit. 
To  remove  any  such  disagreeable  impression  as 
this  from  his  mind,  I  said  something  about  having 
a  sum  of  money  due  me  from  a  friend  which  I 
had  kept  in  reserve  for  another  purpose. 

After  the  excellent  character  which  the  presi- 
dent had  given  me,  I  think  my  uncle  was  satis- 
fied. He  apologized  for  the  sharpness  of  his  words 
and  declared  that  he  had  more  regard  for  my  moral 
welfare  than  for  any  thing  else.  Perhaps  he  had, 
but  his  ideas  of  moralty  were  very  indefinite,  for 
he  had  helped  me  into  my  situation  by  pulling 
down  Tom,  though  I  must  do  him  the   justice   to 


COMING  TO   THE  POINT.  127 

say  that  he  helped  my  friend  into  his  present  sit- 
uation, by  declaring  that  new  light  entirely  con- 
vinced him  of  the  innocence  of  Tom. 

I  left  my  uncle  with  the  feeling  that  I  had 
completely  overwhelmed  him,  and  made  him  blush 
for  his  conduct.  I  was  satisfied  that  I  could  bor- 
row five  hundred  dollars  of  him  within  a  reason- 
able time,  and  with  a  reasonable  explanation  of 
the  necessity.  The  affairs  of  the  day  had  im- 
proved rather  than  injured  my  reputation.  My 
integrity  and  honesty  stood  at  the  highest  point. 
I  had  made  a  friend  of  the  cashier,  who  had  stu- 
pidly placed  himself  in  my  power  when  open  con- 
duct would  have  served  him  better  in  the  end. 
I  owed  no  more  than  before,  but  I  had  hampered 
myself  with  a  promise  to  pay  Tom  Flynn  four 
hundred  dollars  the  next  Monday.  I  had  said  Mon- 
day, because  I  had  a  faint  hope  that  I  might  go 
down  to  Springhaven  on  Saturday  and  get  the 
amount  out  of  my  aunt,  who  had  at  least  another 
thousand  dollars  salted  down  in  her  bureau. 

There  was  time  enough  to  think  of  this  matter 
before  the  day  of  payment ;  but,  if  the  worst 
came,  Tom  could  easily  be  cajoled,  and  even  made 
to  insist  upon  my  retaining  the  money  another 
week  or  another  month.      While    all  these  events 


128  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

were  transpiring,  the  unfortunate  relations  which 
I  sustained  to  my  beautiful  wife  were  hardly  out 
of  my  mind  for  a  moment.  It  was  nearly  six 
o'clock  when  I  started  for  home,  and  all  my 
thoughts  were  then  of  Lilian  and  the  new  house. 

I  was  tempted  to  recede  from  my  hard  and  try- 
ing situation,  and  I  probably  should  have  done  so 
if  I  had  not  been  endowed  with  a  certain  obsti- 
nacy, sometimes  called  firmness.  It  seemed  to  me 
that  my  wife  was  not  my  wife  while  she  remained 
in  the  home  of  "  dear  ma."  Her  mother  had 
more  influence  over  her  than  I  had,  and  I  could 
not  be  happy  till  I  had  redeemed  her  from  this 
bondage.  My  mother-in-law  was  swindling  me  for 
the  benefit  of  her  unmarried  daughters.  I  could 
not  endure  it  any  longer,  and  come  what  would 
come,  I  would  not.  I  entered  the  house  the 
saddest  and  most  miserable  man  in  the  whole 
city. 

The  hour  for  final  action  had  come.  I  had 
informed  Lilian  that  I  should  move  into  the  Eng- 
lish basement  house  that  day.  I  had  ordered  an 
express  wagon  to  come  for  my  luggage  at  seven 
o'clock.  We  had  nothing  to  move  but  our  trunks, 
in  which,  for  the  want  of  suitable  closets,  our 
clothing  was  still  kept.     I  had  seen  Biddy  in  the 


COMING  TO  THE  POINT.  129 

morning,  and  told  her  to  have  supper  for  me  at 
half-past  seven.  I  went  up  to  our  room.  Lilian 
was  there.  I  saw  that  she  had  been  crying,  but 
whether  from  grief  or  from  anger  I  could  not  tell. 
I  put  my  arm  around  her  neck  and  kissed  her,  as 
I  always  did,  when  I  came  into  the  house. 

44  You  are  late,  Paley,"  said  she,  in  forced  tones 
of  calmness. 

44 1  was  detained  at  the  bank  by  the  president," 
I  replied.  "  But  the  wagon  will  be  here  at  seven, 
Lilian." 

"The  wagon?     What  wagon?"  she  asked. 

"  The  wagon  to  take  our  trunks  to  Needham 
Street,  Lilian." 

"You  do  not  mean  that,  Paley?"  said  she, 
looking  up  into  my  face,  while  her  lips  quivered 
and  her  chest  heaved  with  emotion. 

44  Of  course  I  mean  it,  Lilian." 

44  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  intend  to  drag 
me  to  that  house,  whether  I  am  willing  to  go  or 
not?" 

44  Certainly  not.  I  have  never  hinted  at  any 
thing  of  the  kind.  I  only  say  that  I  am  going ; 
and  going  at  seven  o'clock  this  evening." 

44  O,  Paley  !  I  did  not  think  you  would  do  such 
a  thing  !  "  sobbed  she. 
9 


130  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  I  did  not  think,  Lilian,  after  I  had  done  all  I 
could  to  please  you  ;  after  I  had  carried  out  the 
arrangement  we  agreed  upon  when  we  came  to 
board  at  your  mother's ;  after  I  had  nearly  ruined 
myself  in  fitting  up  the  house,  that  you  would 
refuse  to  live  in  it,"  I  pleaded.  "  I  acknowledge 
that  I  have  done  wrong,  but  I  cannot  help  it  now. 
If  you  will  go  to  the  new  house  with  me,  I  will 
promise  to  give  it  up  in  a  reasonable  time,  if  you 
are  not  happy  there." 

"  I  will  not  go,  Paley !  I  have  said  it,  and  I 
mean  it,"  said  she,  spitefully. 

"Very  well.  I  am  going  at  seven  o'clock,"  I 
replied,  sadly  enough. 

I  began  to  pack  my  trunk,  while  she  sobbed  in 
her  chair. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A  LONELY  HOUSE. 

6  6    I  \0  you  mean  to  desert  me,  Paley?"  asked 
1  J     Lilian,  sobbing  bitterly. 

"  Does  it  look  as  though  I  meant  to  desert  you 
when  I  have  nearly  ruined  myself  to  provide  a 
house  that  would  please  you?"  I  replied,  as 
gently  as  I  could  speak,  for  I  was  not  angry. 

"But  you  say  you  will  go  to  that  house  without 
me?  "  she  added,  looking  up  as  if  she  had  a  gleam 
cf  hope  that  I  did  not  mean  what  I  said. 

" 1  did  say  so,  Lilian.  I  am  going  at  seven 
o'clock,  when  the  express  wagon  comes." 

" Don't  you  call  that  deserting  me?" 

"  No,  Lilian ;  it  will  not  be  that  I  desert  you, 
but  you  desert  me." 

"But  I  never  will  go  into  that  house,"  said 
she,  sharply,  as  she  dashed  away  the  tears  that 
filled  her  eyes. 

"Very  well;  then  we  need  say  no  more  about 
it,"  I  answered,  placing  the  last  of  my  wearing 
apparel  in  the  trunk,  and  locking  it. 

131 


132  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  I  did  not  think  you  would  be  so  cruel,  Paley." 

"Cruel,  Lilian!  Do  I  ask  anything  unreason- 
able ?" 

"  I  think  you  do.  You  come  home,  and  wish 
to  pack  me  off  at  half  an  hour's  notice  into  a 
strange  house." 

"  I  think  I  spoke  of  the  matter  last  night,  and 
told  you  I  intended  to  go.  If  the  time  is  too 
short,  you  may  fix  a  day  yourself  to  move.  Name 
the  time  you  will  go,  three  days,  a  week,  a  month 
hence,  and  I  will  not  object." 

"  I  shall  name  no  time.  I  will  not  live  in  that 
house !  " 

"  Then  we  may  as  well  settle  the  matter  now 
as  at  any  other  time,"  I  replied,  with  Spartan 
firmness. 

"You  will  leave  me,  Paley?  " 

"I  will." 

"  O,  Paley  !     Have  Host  all  influence  over  you?" 

"I  do  not  believe  in  this  sort  of  influence.  I 
repeat  that  I  have  done  everything  to  please  you  ; 
and  before  I  told  you  that  the  house  was  for  you, 
were  you  not  delighted  with  it  ?  " 

This  was  a  sore  subject  to  her.  I  knew  very 
well  that  she  liked  the  house  herself.  Her  mother 
intended  to  keep    us   in   our  present  quarters,  for 


A  L  ONEL  T  HO  USE.  133 

the  sake  of  the  income  to  be  derived  from  us. 
She  could  board  us  for  ten  dollars  a  week,  and 
make  something  even  at  that,  for  salt  fish  and 
round  steak  form  a  cheap  diet.  I  estimated  that 
it  cost  five  hundred  dollars  a  year  apiece  to  clothe 
the  two  younger  daughters,  and  the  profits  on  my 
board  more  than  paid  the  bills.  This  was  the 
whole  matter  in  a  nutshell.  I  do  not  think  that 
Lilian  was  a  party  directly  to  the  conspiracy,  but 
she  knew  that  it  would  upset  all  her  mother's 
plans  if  we  left.  Unfortunately  for  me,  I  had 
given  the  impression  that  I  was  made  of  money ; 
that  I  not  only  had  a  large  salary,  but  that  I  was 
the  heir  of  Aunt  Rachel,  whose  wealth  was  sup- 
posed to  equal  the  capital  of  the  Bank  of  England. 
My  wife  was  too  proud  to  acknowledge  that  she 
had  any  interest  in  her  mother's  scheme  ;  it  was 
safer  to  say  that  she  did  not  like  the  house.  I 
knew  that  her  family  was  reduced  to  the  greatest 
straits ;  that  Mr.  Oliphant's  income  was  utterly 
insufficient  to  keep  up  the  style  of  former  years. 
I  knew  that  Mrs.  Oliphant  pinched  herself  in 
every  possible  way,  that  the  prospects  of  her  two 
unmarried  daughters  might  not  be  injured.  But  I 
felt  that  I  had  done  enough  for  the  family  when 
I   relieved  them  of   one   mouth   to   feed,  and  one 


134  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

form  to  clothe.  It  certainly  was  not  fair  that  I 
should  pay  the  extravagant  expenses  of  making 
the  world  believe  that  my  wife's  two  sisters  were 
fine  ladies. 

I  was  fighting  the  battle  for  my  own  independ- 
ence, and  not  less  for  that  of  my  wife.  I  know 
that  mothers-in-law  are  shamefully  traduced,  but 
only  because  such  a  one  as  Mrs.  Oliphant  is  taken 
as  a  type  of  the  whole  class.  I  regard  her  as 
the  exception,  not  the  rule.  Her  plan  required 
that  she  should  hold  my  wife  as  a  slave  within 
the  maternal  home.  In  little  things,  I  found  that 
Lilian  consulted  the  will  of  her  strong-minded 
mother,  rather  than  my  feelings.  For  example,  I 
once  overheard  Mrs.  Oliphant  tell  my  wife  to 
induce  me  to  go  to  a  certain  concert,  simply 
because  Miss  Bertha  desired  to  go.  Lilian  did 
induce  me  to  go,  and  I  went.  She  came  up  to 
the  point  by  regular  approaches.  Not  a  word  was 
said  about  Miss  Bertha  till  I  was  closing  the  door 
behind  me,  as  I  went  to  the  bank,  when  it  was 
— "  By  the  way,  Paley,  don't  you  think  we  had 
better  ask  Bertha  to  go  with  us?"  Of  course  I 
thought  so,  and  she  went  with  us.  Lilian  did  not 
care  a  straw  for  the  concert ;  neither  did  I. 

This  is  only  a  specimen  of  the  manner  in  which 


A  LONELY  HOUSE.  135 

I  was  victimized.  I  not  only  dressed  the  two 
marriageable  sisters,  but  I  was  to  introduce  them 
into  society,  by  paying  their  bills  at  concerts, 
theatres,  parties  and  balls.  But  this  was  not  the 
most  objectionable  part  of  the  arrangement.  I 
could  not  endure  the  thought  of  having  my  wife 
made  the  cat's  paw  for  the  monkey  to  pull  the 
chestnuts  out  of  the  fire.  She  was  not  my  wife, 
in  the  just  and  proper  sense-  of  the  word.  She  did 
not  think  so  much  of  my  interests  and  my  hap- 
piness as  she  did  of  her  mother's  will  and  wish. 
Neither  of  us  was  to  live  for  each  other,  but  both 
of  us  for  the  Oliphants'  ambitious  schemes.  So 
thoroughly  was  I  persuaded  in  my  own  mind  of 
the  justness  of  my  position,  that  I  was  determined 
to  stick  to  it,  even  if  it  resulted  in  a  complete 
separation. 

The  door-bell  rang,  and  we  heard  the  sound  of 
it  in  our  room.  I  looked  out  the  window.  An 
express  wagon  stood  before  the  door.  The  crisis 
had  come,  but  I  was  as  resolute  as  ever,  and  I 
expected  to  spend  the  night  alone  in  the  house  in 
Needham  Street. 

"  A  man  at  the  door  wants  to  see  you,  Paley," 
said  Mrs.  Oliphant,  who   did  not   keep  a   servant. 

I  went  down  to  the  door,  and  brought  the  man 


136  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

up  with  me.  Lilian  and  her  mother  stood  aghast. 
They  appeared  to  be  utterly  confounded,  and 
neither  of  them  spoke  in  the  presence  of  the 
stranger. 

"  That  trunk,"  I  said  to  the  expressman. 

"Is  that  all?"  asked  he. 

"  That  is  all,"  I  replied,  giving  him  the  number 
of  the  house  in  Needham  Street. 

The  man  picked  up*  the  trunk  and  I  followed 
him  down  stairs.  I  paid  him,  and  he  went  off 
with  my  baggage.  I  was  not  willing  to  leave 
my  wife  without  saying  good-by  to  her,  for  I  had 
some  hope  that  she  would  yet  relent.  When  my 
hand  was  on  the  door  which  I  intended  to  close, 
Lilian  called  me  from  the  stairs  above.  She  came 
down,  followed  by  Mrs.  Oliphant.  I  hoped  that 
both  of  them  would  understand  me  by  this  time. 

"  What's  the  matter,  Paley  ?  "  asked  "  dear  ma," 
trying  to  look  pleasant. 

"  Nothing  is  the  matter,"  I  replied,  not  caring 
to  discuss  the  question  with  her. 

"  Lilian  tells  me  you  are  going  to  your  new 
house." 

"  Doubtless  she  told  you  that  before." 

"But  I  did  not  think  you  would  go  off  and 
leave  her." 


A  LONELY  HOUSE.  137 

"  Such  is  my  purpose,  unless  she  decides  to  go 
with  me." 

"  Of  course  it  is  not  for  me  to  say  any  thing 
about  it,"  she  added,  in  her  magnanimous  way. 
"But  I  must  say  I  think  you  are  a  little  unrea- 
sonable." 

"  Well,  Mrs.  Oliphant,  I  don't  care  about  dis- 
cussing the  subject  any  more.  If  Lilian  chooses 
to  desert  me  I  can't  help  myself. 

"  Desert  you  !  Goodness  gracious  !  I  should 
think  it  was  just  the  other  way,  and  you  are 
deserting  her." 

''•I  think  not.  If  I  provide  a  suitable  home  for 
my  wife,  it  seems  to  me  that  she  ought  to  occupy 
it  with  me,"  I  answered,  meekly.  "I  do  not  wish 
to  be  unreasonable,  but  I  think  Lilian  will  admit 
that  our  plan  discussed,  and  agreed  to  while  we 
were  on  our  bridal  tour,  was  to  go  to  housekeep- 
ing. I  have  provided  a  pleasant  house,  near  yours, 
and  furnished  it  in  a  style  much  better  than  I  can 
afford.  I  have  told  her  that,  after  occupying  the 
house  for  six  months  or  a  year,  if  it  does  not  suit 
her,  1  will  conform  to  her  wishes,  whatever  they 
may  be.  I  think  my  view  is  a  reasonable  one, 
and  I  intend  to  adhere  to  it." 

"  Is  she  to  go  there  whether  she  wants  to  or 
not?"  demanded  Mrs.   Oliphant. 


138  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  Am  I  to  stay  here  whether  I  want  to  or  not  ?  " 
I  replied.  "  In  the  matter  of  housekeeping,  I  con- 
sulted her,  and  we  were  of  the  same  mind." 

"You  will  not  leave  me,  Paley,  will  you?" 
pleaded  Lilian,  satisfied  that  her  mother  was  mak- 
ing no  headway  in  solving  the  problem. 

"  No ;  but  you  will  leave  me,  Lilian.  I  am 
going  now." 

"  Don't  go,  Paley  !  " 

"  Will  you  name  a  time  when  you  will  go  with 
me,  Lilian  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  go,  Paley !     Indeed  I  cannot." 

"  Good-by  then,  Lilian,"  I  replied,  kissing  her, 
while  the  tears  gushed  from  my  eyes. 

I  rushed  from  the  house,  without  stopping  to 
close  the  door  behind  me.  I  wiped  away  my 
tears  as  I  crossed  the  street  at  a  furious  pace.  I 
walked  till  I  had  subdued  the  emotions  which 
crowded  upon  me.  It  was  half  an  hour  before  I 
dared  to  present  myself  before  the  Biddy  I  had 
engaged,  lest  she  should  fathom  the  secret  that 
worried  me.  I  rang  the  bell  at  my  house,  and 
the  servant  admitted  me.  She  opened  her  eyes 
wide  when  she  saw  me   alone. 

"Where  is  the  missus?"  asked   she. 

"  She  has  concluded  not  to  come,  to-night,"  I 
replied,  hanging  up  my  hat  in  the  hall. 


A  LONELY  HOUSE. 


139 


"  The  pretty  crayture  !  Sure  I'm  dyin'  to  have 
her  in  the  house  wid  me!"  exclaimed  Bridget. 
"  Is  it  sick  she  is  ?  " 

'■*  She  don't  feel  very  well 
this  evening,"  I  replied  eva- 
sively. 

"  Sure  the  supper  is  all 
ready  for  the  two  of  ye's. 
The  tay  is  drawn  this  half 
hour,  and  the  crame  toast  is 
breakin'  in  flitters  wid 
waitin'  for  ye's." 

"  Very  well ;  I  will  have 
my  supper  immediately." 

The  tea  and  the  toast 
were  certainly  good  enough 
even  for  Lilian ;  but  it  was 
the  most  miserable  supper 
to  which  I  ever  sat  down. 
My  heart  seemed  to  be  almost  broken.  I  lighted  the 
gas  in  the  little  sitting-room,  and  threw  myself 
into  the  rocking-chair.  I  looked  around  the  apart- 
ment. Everything  was  neat,  tasty  and  pleasant. 
"Was  it  possible  that  Lilian  refused  to  share  such 
a  palace  with  me  ?  No ;  it  was  not  her  fault. 
With  her  mother's  permission  how  gladly  she  would 


Biddy. 


140  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

have  taken  her  place  bylny  side.  Mrs.  Oliphant 
evidently  had  not  given  me  credit  for  any  consid- 
erable amount  of  resolution.  She  was  "  the  better 
horse  "  in  her  own  matrimonial  relations,  and  she 
found  it  difficult  to  comprehend  any  other  than  a 
similar  arrangement  in  her  daughter's  family. 

I  tried  to  read  the  newspaper  I  had  brought 
home  with  me,  but  my  thoughts  were  with  Lilian. 
I  turned  over  the  leaves  of  the  books  I  had  laid 
on  the  centre-table.  I  went  into  the  dining-room 
and  smoked.  I  was  almost  worn  out  with  fatigue 
and  excitement.  I  was  miserable  beyond  descrip- 
tion. I  went  to  bed  at  midnight,  and  I  went  to 
sleep,  but  it  was  only  to  dream  of  Lilian,  goad- 
ing and  persecuting  me,  led  on  by  a  demon  who 
was  always  at  her  side. 

I  rose  in  the  morning,  and  found  my  breakfast 
ready  at  the  time  I  had  ordered  it.  It  was  such  a 
breakfast  as  Lilian  liked,  but  she  was  not  there 
to  enjoy  it,  and  I  groaned  in  spirit.  I  must  go  to 
the  bank.  I  was  not  to  see  my  wife,  but  I 
decided  to  write  her  a  line  —  it  was  only  a   line  : 

"  Dearest  Lilian : — I  shall  hope  to  find  you  at 
our  new  home  when  I  come  up  from  the  bank. 

"  Paley." 

I  sent  Biddy  to  deliver  it,  and  told  her  not  to 
wait  for  an  answer. 


A  L  ONEL  T  HO  USE.  141 

I  went  to  the  bank.  Everything  was  "  lovely  " 
there.  Even  Mr.  Bristlebach  was  u  lovely ;  "  and 
that  was  a  most  unusual  attitude  for  him.  Cap- 
tain Halliard  dropped  in  to  see  me.  He  was 
"  lovely."  Tom  Flynn  was  in  excellent  spirits ; 
but  he  took  occasion  to  tell  me  something  about 
his  business  affairs,  so  that  I  could  distinctly  under- 
stand what  a  sad  mishap  it  would  be  to  him  if  I 
should  fail  to  pay  him  the  four  hundred  dollars  I 
owed  him  on  Monday.  I  felt  that  I  must  pay 
him,  and  I  decided  to  visit  Springhaven  on  Sat- 
urday, and  cajole  Aunt  Rachel  into  lending  me 
the  amount. 

I  went  through  my  duties  mechanically,  but 
that  day  I  lived  on  hope.  I  had  ordered  my  din- 
ner at  home  at  half  past  three,  which  was  the 
hour  I  usually  dined.  Lilian  knew  my  habits,  and 
I  felt  almost  sure  that  I  should  find  her  in  Need- 
ham  Street.  I  believed  that  she  loved  me,  and  I 
could  not  believe  that  she  would  desert  me.  How 
my  heart  beat  when  I  went  into  the  English  base- 
ment house  !  How  it  sank  within  me  when  Biddy 
failed  to  tell  me  that  the  "  missus "  was  there. 
I  dared  not  ask  her  any  questions,  lest  she  should 
discover  the  anxiety  under  which  I  was   laboring. 

I  looked  into  the  sitting-room.     It  was  as  empty 


142  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

as  the  tomb  of  all  I  desired  to  see.  I  went  into 
the  dining-room.  The  table  was  set  for  two,  but 
one  of  the  plates  seemed  to  mock  me.  Lilian  was 
not  there.  She  was  not  in  the  kitchen.  I  went 
up  stairs,  but  the  same  oppressive  vacancy  haunted 
every  spot  in  the  house.  No  Lilian  was  there, 
and  without  her  the  house  was  not  home.  The 
casket  and  all  its  appliances  were  there,  but  no 
jewel  flashed  upon  my  waiting,  longing  eyes. 

There  was  no  note  in  reply  to  mine.  Biddy  did 
not  deliver  any  message  to  me.  It  was  plain 
enough  that  she  had  not  heard  from  the  "missus." 
I  was  sure  that  Lilian  loved  me,  and  that  if  left 
to  herself  she  would  come  to  me,  even  if  I  had 
been  lodged  in  a  prison  instead  of  the  palace  I 
had  provided  for  her.  I  ate  my  dinner  alone  and 
in  silence.  The  dinner  was  a  good  one,  but  it 
would  have  been  the  same  thing  to  me  if  the 
roast  beef  and  mashed  potato  had  been  chips  and 
shavings,  so  far  as  I  had  any  interest  in  their 
flavor. 

When  the  meal  was  finished  I  left  the  house, 
and  wandered  about  the  streets  till  tea-time.  I 
kept  walking  without  going  anywhere  ;  I  kept  think- 
ing without  knowing  what  I  was  thinking  about. 
After  I  had  been  to  supper,  and  Biddy  had  finished 


A  L  ON  EL  T  HO  USE.  143 

her  work,  she  came  into  the  sitting-room  where  I 
was  looking  at  the  blank  sheets  of  the  newspaper 
I  held  in  my  hand.  She  begged  my  pardon  for 
coming.  She  wanted  to  know  when  the  "missus" 
was  to  be  at  the  house.  I  evaded  an  answer. 
She  told  me  she  couldn't  stay  in  a  house  with  no 
missus  in  it.  She  didn't  "  spake  to  a  sowl  all 
day  long,"  and  she  couldn't  "  shtop  in  a  house 
wid  only  a  man  in  it.  She  had  a  chamze&ter, 
and  people  would  be  talking  if  she  shtopped  in  a 
house  wid  only  a  man  in  it."  Of  course  I  was 
utterly  confounded  at  this  complication  of  the  dif- 
ficulty, but  I  told  her  that  if  the  "missus"  was 
not  able  to  come  by  Monday  she  might  go,  and 
I  would  pay  her  wages  for  an  additional  week. 

"  God  bless  your  honor !  but  is  the  missus  sick?  " 
she  asked. 

"  She   is  not    very  well,  and    does    not    like    to 
leave  her  mother  yet." 

She  appeared  to  be  satisfied,  and  I  was  per- 
mitted to  spend  another  miserable  night  in  the 
loneliness  of  my  new  home.  I  heard  nothing  from 
Lilian.  I  thought  she  might,  at  least,  send  me  a 
note  in  reply  to  mine  ;  but  I  knew  that  she  acted 
upon  the  advice  of  "  dear  ma."  That  strong 
minded  woman  evidently  intended  to  bring  me  to 


144  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

terms.  If  possible,  I  was  more  resolute  than  ever. 
Before  I  went  to  the  bank  the  next  morning  I 
decided  to  write  one  more  note — one  which  could 
not  fail  to  bring  the  unpleasant  matter  to  an  issue 
within  twenty-four  hours.  It  was  in  the  form  of 
an  advertisement,  as  follows  :  — 

"  Whereas,  my  wife,  Lilian  O.  Glasswood,  has 
left  my  bed  and  board,  without  justifiable  cause, 
I  hereby  give  notice  that  I  shall  pay  no  debts  of 
her  contracting,  after  this  date. 

"  Boston,  Aug.  — .  Paley  Glasswood. 

"  Shall  I  insert  the  above  in  to-morrow's  papers  ? 

P.    G." 

I  sent  this  epistle  to  Mr.  Oliphant's  by  Biddy. 
Though  it  was  directed  to  Lilian,  it  was  intended 
for  her  mother. 


CHAPTER  X. 

MY   WIFE   AND    I. 

I  KNEW  very  well  that  this  note  would  produce 
a  tremendous  sensation  in  the  Oliphant  family, 
and,  as  I  walked  down  to  the  bank,  I  considered 
whether  so  violent  a  demonstration  was  justifiable. 
But  I  soon  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  was 
not  a  mere  feint,  and  that  if  my  wife  wo  aid  not 
live  with  me  in  Needham  Street,  she  could  not 
live  with  me  anywhere  else.  If  she  did  not  choose 
to  share  my  lot  in  the  pretty  residence  I  had 
provided  for  her,  I  would  not  pay  her  board  in 
Tremont  Street. 

I  wanted  my  wife.  I  had  not  married  Mrs. 
Oliphant,  and  was  willing  to  dispense  with  the 
benefit  of  her  advice.  Perhaps  it  was  reckless  in 
me  to  do  so,  but  no  man  had  ever  made  up  his 
mind  on  any  point  more  decidedly  than  I  had 
made  up  mine  on  this  one.  I  attended  to  my 
duties  as  usual,  but  there  was  a  sort  of  grimness 
about  everything  I  did  which  astonished  me,  if  it 
did  not  any  one  else. 

(10)  145 


146  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

At  my  usual  hour  I  rang  the  bell  of  my  house 
with  a  more  intense  anxiety  than  had  before  agi- 
tated me.  If  the  savage  measure  I  had  taken  did 
not  bring  Lilian  and  her  mother  to  their  senses, 
nothing  would,  and  the  breach  must  be  regarded 
as  permanent.  I  hoped  and  confidently  expected 
to  find  my  wife  in  the  house,  and  I  braced  my 
nerves  for  the  scene  which  must  ensue.  Biddy 
opened  the  door,  with  a  sweet  smile  on  her  face 
which  augured  well  for  my  anticipations. 

"  There's  a  bit  of  a  letther  on  the  table  for  ye's, 
sir,"  said  she,  as  I  hung  up  my  hat  in  the  hall. 
"  Shtop !  and  I'll  bring  it  to  ye's." 

"  A  bit  of  a  letther  !  "  Was  that  all  ?  Of  course 
it  was  from  Lilian.  She  did  not  intend  to  sur- 
render without  conditions.  Biddy  handed  me  the 
missive.  It  was  in  my  wife's  pretty  hand-writing, 
but  I  was  disappointed,  and  more  than  ever  dis- 
posed to  be  morose.     I  opened  the  envelope. 

"  Come  and  see  me  this  afternoon,  Paley. 

"Lilian." 

That  was  all.  The  case  did  not  look  hopeful. 
If  I  went  I  must  fight  the  battle  with  "  dear  ma." 
I  promptly  decided  that  it  would  be  worse  than 
folly  for  me  to  heed  this  request.  It  was  only 
an  ingenious  device  of  Mrs.  Oliphant  to  carry  her 


MY  WIFE  AND  I.  147 

point    by   some   new   strategy.     To   go   would  be 
to  throw  myself  into  the  toils  of  the  enemy. 

Biddy  stood  looking  at  me  while  I  read  the 
"  bit  of  a  letther."  If  she  did  not  suspect  the 
trouble,  she  was  more  stupid  than  I  supposed.  She 
was  a  good  girl,  though  her  manners  needed  some 
improvement.  If  the  wife  was  ill,  the  place  of 
the  husband  was  at  her  side.  My  gem  of  the 
Green  Isle  could  reason  out  this  proposition  with- 
out exploding  her  brain.  She  must  understand 
that  a  family  tempest  was  gathering. 

"  Av  coorse  the  bit  of  a  letther  is  from  the 
missus,"  said  she.     "  I  hope  she  is  betther." 

"  Is  dinner  ready,  Biddy  ?  "  I  replied,  trying  to 
laugh. 

"  All  ready,  sir.  Sure  the  missus  must  be  betther, 
for  she  brought  the  letther  herself.'  ' 

"  She  is  better,  Biddy.  There  is  trouble  between 
us." 

"  Faix,  I  knew  it  from  the  flrsht!  " 

"  Let  me  have  my  dinner  now,  and  we  will' talk 
about  it  another  time." 

She  seemed  to  be  proud  to  have  even  so  much 
of  my.  confidence,  and  she  flew  around  with  an 
alacrity  which  was  as  creditable  to  her  locomotive 
powers  as   it   was  to   her   Irish   heart.     Even   her 


148  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

looks  were  full  of  respectful  sympathy.  I  sat 
clown  to  the  table,  and  taking  her  place  behind 
my  chair,  she  waited  upon  me  with  a  zeal  which 
would  have  shamed  the  black  coats  of  a  fashion- 
able hotel. 

"In  a  word,  Biddy,  my  wife  refuses  to  live  in 
this  house  with  me.  That's  all  the  trouble  we 
have,"  said  I,  as  I  began  to  eat  my  dinner. 
"Bad  luck  to  her  for  that  same  !  " 
It  was  very  undignified  for  me  to  say  anything 
to  my  servant,  or  to  any  one,  indeed,  about  a 
matter  of  this  kind,  but  I  was  absolutely  hungry 
for  a  confidant  to  whom  I  could  pour  out  my 
griefs.  If  the  matter  was  to  go  any  farther,  I 
intended  to  send  for  Tom  Flynn,  and  talk  over 
the  situation  with  him.  It  seemed  as  though  my 
brain  would  burst,  if  I  could  not  relieve  it  by 
exhibiting  the  cause  of  my  sorrows.  If  Biddy  had 
not  known  so  much  I  would  not  have  told  her 
any  more.  I  had  informed  her  in  the  beginning 
about  the  "  pleasant  surprise"  I  was  preparing  for 
my  wife.  She  had  seen  Lilian  when  she  called, 
and  it  was  stupid  in  me  to  attempt  to  conceal  any- 
thing from  her.  I  explained  to  her  the  difficulty 
as  far  as  I  deemed  it  necessary.  Biddy  was  my 
strongest  friend,  then.  She  would  not  have  left 
me  even  to  save  her  "  char/w&ter." 


MT  WIFE  AND  I.  149 

She  rehearsed  the  whole  matter,  declared  that  I 
was  an  angel,  and  the  house  a  palace.  It  was 
not  only  unreasonable,  but  cruel  and  barbarous, 
for  my  wife  to  refuse  to  share  my  lot.  Thus 
spake  Biddy,  and  I  endorsed  her  sentiments. 
When  I  had  finished  my  dinner  I  wrote  a  brief 
note  to  Lilian,  declining  to  see  her  again,  until 
we  could  meet  in  "  our  own  house."  Biddy  was 
a  zealous  messenger.  She  was  instructed  to  deliver 
it  without  any  words,  and  without  answering  any 
questions,  for  I  was  afraid  she  would  take  the 
matter  into  her  own  hands,  and  complicate  the 
difficulty  by  attempting  to  fight  my  battle  for 
me. 

An  hour  later  came  the  reply  to  my  note.  Lil- 
ian wrote  that  she  was  "  quite  indisposed,"  and 
unable  to  leave  the  house  that  day.  She  wished 
to  see  me  very  much,  and  begged  me  not  to  deny 
her  this  favor.  Perhaps  she  was  sick.  So  was  I 
—  sick  at  heart.  It  would  not  be  strange  if  the 
intense  excitement  attending  this  affair  had  made 
her  ill ;  it  had  made  me  so.  But  I  knew  she  was  not 
so  ill  that  she  could  not  leave  the  house.  She  had 
delivered  her  own  letter  in  the  forenoon  when  she 
knew  I  was  at  the  bank.  Yet,  if  I  did  not  see  her 
when  she  was  sick,  it  would  make  the  story  tell  with 


150  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

damaging  effect  upon  me.  I  decided  to  see  her  at 
once  —  to  see  her  as  my  sick  wife,  and  not  to 
make  terms  in  the  quarrel. 

In  five  minutes  I  rang  the  bell  at  the  door  of 
Mr.  Oliphant's  house.  It  was  opened  as  usual  by 
Mrs.  Oliphant.  A  smile  of  triumph  played  upon 
her  face  as  she  stood  aside  to  permit  me  to  pass 
into  the  hall. 

44 1  am  glad  you  have  concluded  to  come,  Paley," 
said  she. 

This  remark  indicated  that  she  was  already  in 
possession  of  the  contents  of  my  last  note ;  in  fact 
that  she,  and  not  Lilian,  was  fighting  the  bat- 
tle. 

"Is  Lilian  sick?"  I   inquired. 

"  She  is  not  very  well.'' 

"  I  will  go  up  and  see  her." 

I  went  up. 

"  O,  Paley  !  how  can  you  be  so  cruel  ?  "  exclaimed 
she,  with  much  nervous  excitement. 

"Are  you  sick  Lilian?"  I  replied,  taking  her 
hand,  and  kissing  her  as  though  nothing  had  hap- 
pened. 

"  I  am  sick,  Paley." 

"  I  am  sorry,  Lilian." 

"  Do  you  think  I  am  made  of  iron  ?  " 

"  Shall  I  go  for  Dr.  Ingoldson  ?  " 


MT  WIFE  AND  I.  151 

"  I  do  not  need  a  doctor  so  much  as  I  need 
peace." 

"  We  both  need  that." 

"  Are  you  going  to  drive  me  into  that  hateful 
house?" 

"Certainly  not,   Lilian." 

"  Did  you  write  that  cruel  note  which  came 
this  morning,  Paley?  I  cannot  believe  it." 

"  I  did  write  it,  Lilian ;  but  if  you  are  sick  we 
will  not  talk  about  that,"  I  replied,  tenderly,  but 
firmly. 

"  But  we  must  talk  about  it.  Do  you  mean  to 
say  that  you  will  print  that  horrid  advertise- 
ment?" 

"  Most  certainly  I  shall,  if  you  persist  in  your 
present  course.  It  is  not  right  for  me  to  support 
a  wife  who  will  not  live  with  me.  If  you  are 
sick,  we  will  defer  all  action  until  you  are  bet- 
ter." 

"I  am  not  well,  but  I  wanted  to  see  you  about 
this  awful  business.  Have  you  ceased  to  love  me, 
Paley?" 

"No,  Lilian." 

Perhaps  Mrs.  Oliphant  had  tried  to  stay  down 
stairs,  and  permit  her  daughter  to  pour  out  her 
griefs  to  me  alone;  but  if  she  had  tried,  she   had 


152  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

not  succeeded  ;  and  at  this  stage  of  the  interview 
she  entered  the  room,  without  the  ceremony  of 
knocking. 

"  I  am  glad  you  have  come,  Paley,  for  we  want 
to  talk  over  this  disagreeable  business." 

"  Lilian's  note  informed  me  that  she  was  sick, 
and  I  came  to  see  her,  but  not  to  talk  over  any 
matter.     If  she  is  ill  —  " 

"  She  isn't  very  ill,"  interposed   Mrs.  Oliphant. 

I  thought  not;  at  least  not  too  ill  to  discuss 
the  exciting  topic. 

"  I  am  glad  she  is  not  very  ill.  If  she  is, 
I  will  stay  at  her  side  and  do  all  that  a  husband 
should  do  for  a  sick  wife." 

"  O,  we  can  take  care  of  her !  But  I  wanted 
to  ask  you  if  you  really  intended  to  put  that 
advertisement  into  the  newspapers?" 

"  You  will  excuse  me,  but  I  have  nothing  to 
say  on  that  subject  beyond  what  I  expressed  in 
my  note.  If  Lilian  does  not  need  any  assistance 
from  me,  I  will  go.  If  Lilian  is  ill,  I  will  defer 
the  insertion  of  the  advertisement  until  Monday 
morning." 

"  O,  Paley !  "  gasped  Lilian. 

"  Are  you  such  a  monster !  "  exclaimed  Mrs. 
Oliphant,  her  lips   compressed  and  her   eyes  flash- 


MT  WIFE  AND  I.  153 

ing  in  such  a  way  as  to  indicate  in   what  manner 
poor  Oliphant  had  been  conquered. 

"I  have  nothing  more  to  say, .  madam,"  I 
replied,  with  all  the  dignity  I  could  command. 

I  moved  towards  the  door.  Mrs.  Oliphant  was 
proceeding  to  rehearse  the  enormity  of  my  offence, 
when  I  clipped  the  wings  of  her  rhetoric  by 
opening  the  door. 

"  Good-by,  Lilian,  if  we  are  to  meet  no  more," 
I  added.     "  On  Monday  it  will  be  too  late." 

I  retreated  down  the  stairs,  and  fled  from  the 
house,  though  Mrs.  Oliphant  made  a  lively  pur- 
suit as  far  as  the  street  door,  calling  upon  me 
with  all  her  might  to  return. 

I  know  that  my  lady  readers  are  branding  me 
as  a  barbarian,  but  I  beg  to  remind  them  again 
that  I  was  not  fighting  the  battle  with  my  wife, 
but  with  her  mother.  I  was  striking  for  my  own 
and  for  Lilian's  independence.  If  I  could  not 
have  her  as  my  wife,  I  would  not  have  her  at  all. 
I  did  not  go  directly  home.  I  called  to  see  Tom 
Flynn.  He  was  not  in,  but  I  left  a  message  for 
him  to  see  me  in  Needham  Street  as  soon  as  he 
returned. 

I  was  tolerably  calm,  considering  the  amount 
of  actual  suffering    I   endured.      Biddy    was   gar- 


154  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

rulous,  and  disposed  to  say  harsh  things  of  the 
"  missus."  I  checked  her,  declaring  that  Lilian 
was  an  angel  herself,  and  that  Mrs.  Oliphant  was 
the  fomenter  of  the  strife.  Fortunately  I  was 
relieved  from  her  comments  by  the  arrival  of  Tom 
Flynn.  The  noble  fellow  looked  sad  when  he 
entered,  and  I  think  he  feared  I  intended  to  say 
I  could  not  pay  him  the  four  hundred  dollars  on 
Monday,  as  I  promised.  He  had  not  visited  my 
house  before,  and  he  was  lavish  in  his  praise  of 
the  good  taste  displayed  in  the  furniture.  Per- 
haps it  suggested  him  a  doubt  in  regard  to  the 
safety  of  his  money. 

"  Where  is  Lilian  ? "  he  asked.  "I  have  not 
seen  her  for  a  month." 

The  question  opened  the  subject  nearest  to  my 
heart.  I  began  my  story,  and  related  it  in  the 
most  minute  detail  up  to  the  interview  which 
had  just  taken  place  between  my  wife  and  myself. 
The  noble  fellow  was  astonished  at  the  recital, 
and  his  countenance  beamed  with  generous  sym- 
pathy. 

"  I  am  very  sorry  for  all  this,  Paley.  It  is  an 
awkward  and  uncomfortable  predicament,"  said 
he. 

"  What  can  I  do  ?  " 


MY  WIFE  AND  I.  155 

"  I  don't  know.  I  think  you  are  right  in  your 
main  position,  though  I  am  not  quite  so  sure  in 
regard  to  your  method  of  treatment,"  he  replied, 
musing.  "1  should  not  quite  like  to  advertise  my 
wife." 

"I  don't  like  to  do  it;  but  as  sure  as  my  name 
is  Paley  Glasswood,  I  will  do  it,  if  she  does  not 
come  to  this  house  before  Monday  morning!"  I 
replied,  quite  excitedly. 

"  However,  I  don't  think  you  will  have  occasion 
to  do  it,"  he  added.  "  Oliphant  has  had  the 
reputation  of  being  a  hen-pecked  husband  ever  since 
I  first  heard  of  him.  His  wife  is  a  strong-minded 
woman,  and  I  suppose  he  found  it  cheaper  to 
yield  than  to  fight  it  out.  He  was  a  prosperous 
man  formerly,  but  they  say  his  spirit  was  broken 
by  this  domestic  tyranny.  I  can't  advise  you  to 
back  out,  though  I  wish  you  had  consulted  your 
wife  before  you  furnished  the  house." 

"  That  would  only  have  transferred  the  battle- 
ground to  another  location.     If  I  yield,  I  am  lost." 

It  was  fully  settled  with  the  advice  of  my  friend, 
that  I  should  not  yield.  I  explained  that  if  Lilian 
did  not  like  the  house  or  the  furniture  after  a 
reasonable  trial,  I  would  change  either  or  both. 
Tom  Flynn  stayed  with  me  till  midnight,  and  told 


156  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

me  a  great  many  things  in  regard  to  the  Oliphants 
that  I  was  glad  to  know.  It  is  enough  for  me 
to  add  that  I  had  not  misapprehended  the  char- 
acter of  "  dear  ma." 

The  next  day  was  Saturday.  I  went  to  the 
bank  at  the  usual  hour,  and  stayed  there  till  the 
close  of  business.  I  wanted  to  go  to  Springhaven 
tfiat  day  to  make  my  assault  upon  Aunt  Kachel's 
purse-strings.  The  last  train  left  at  six  o'clock. 
I  was  going  home,  and  if  my  wife  did  not  appear, 
I  intended  to  spend  Sunday  at  home  with  my 
mother.  It  was  the  last  day  of  grace,  both  for 
Lilian  and  the  money  I  was  to  pay  Tom  Flynn  on 
Monday. 

Biddy  admitted  me,  but  she  had  no  tidings  of 
my  wife.  Lilian  had  not  come  to  my  house,  and 
had  sent  no  message  for  me.  Was  it  possible  that 
Mrs.  Oliphant  meant  to  let  the  affair  take  its 
course — to  make  a  "  grass-widow  "  of  her  daughter 
rather  than  allow  her  to  submit  ?  It  looked  so, 
incredible  as  it  seemed.  After  I  had  eaten  my 
dinner,  I  wrote  a  note  to  Lilian,  informing  her 
that  I  intended  to  spend  Sunday  at  my  mother's, 
that  I  would  call  at  our  house  in  Needham  Street 
on  Monday  morning,  and  that,  if  I  did  not  find 
her  there,  I  should  insert  the  advertisement  in  all 


MY  WIFE  AND  /.  157 

the  newspapers.  It  was  then  after  four  o'clock, 
and  I  sent  the  note  by  Biddy  with  the  usual 
instructions. 

I  went  up  stairs  to  take  a  bath  and  dress  for 
my  visit.  It  was  after  five  when  I  came  down. 
Biddy  had  returned,  and  was  busy  with  her  work. 
I  began  to  tell  her  where  I  was  going  when  the 
door-bell  rang. 

"  Bedad !  the  missus  has  come,  and  brought  her 
mother  with  her  !  "  exclaimed  she,  as  she  rushed 
into  the  dining-room  where  I  was  smoking  away 
the  half  hour  I  had  to  spare  before  going  to  the 
train. 

"  Where  are  they  ?  " 

"In  the  parlor." 

It  was  not  a  very  encouraging  fact  that  Mrs. 
Oliphant  had  come  with  her.  I  went  into  the 
sitting-room  where  were  seated  my  guests,  for  as 
such  only  could  I  yet  regard  them. 

"  I  am  glad  you  have  come,  Lilian,"  said  I, 
entering  the  room. 

"But  I  have  not  come  to  stay,"  she  interposed, 
promptly. 

"  Then  I  am  sorry  you  have  come,"  I  added, 
as  promptly. 

"It  is  terrible,  Paley,  to  think  that  my  husband 


158  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

is  prepared  to  desert  me,  and  to  advertise  me  in 
the  newspapers,"  said  she. 

"It  is  just  as  terrible  for  me  to  be  deserted  as 
for  you,  Lilian.  I  hope  you  will  think  well  of  it 
before  it  is  too  late." 

"  I  came  over  to  see  about  this  business,  Mr. 
Glass  wood,"  interposed  Mrs.  Oliphant,  stiffly. 

"  Nothing  need  be  said,  madam.  I  must  add 
that  I  decline  to  discuss  the  question  at  all." 

"  That's  a  pretty  way,  sir ! "  continued  she. 
"  You  married  my  daughter,  and  you  prom- 
ised—" 

"  I  know  I  did,  madam,  and  she  promised,  too. 
If  she  does  not  choose  to  occupy  the  house  I  have 
provided  for  her,  that  is  the  end  of  the  whole 
matter ;  and  also  the  end  of  all  argument.  I  am 
going  to  Springhaven  now.  I  have  nothing  more 
to  say,  except  to  add  that  when  my  wife  returns 
to  me  I  will  treat  her  as  tenderly  as  I  know  how, 
bury  the  past,  and  seek  only  her  happiness." 

I  moved  towards  the  door.  Lilian  burst  into 
tears.  I  saw  her  glance  at  her  mother,  who  sat  in 
dignified  stiffness  on  the  sofa. 

"  Good-by,  Lilian,"  I  said,  glancing  tenderly  at 
her. 

"  No,  no,  Paley !      You  shall  not  go  !  "    gasped 


MT  WIFE  AND  I  159 

she,  springing  into  my  arms.     "  I  will  stay  here  !  " 
"  Lilian  !  "    exclaimed  her  mother,    springing   to 

her  feet. 

She  was  my  wife  then. 


CHAPTER  XL 

OVER   THE    PRECIPICE. 

LILIAN"  was  in  my  arms  again,  and  all  that  I  had 
suffered  was  compensated  for  by  the  bliss  of 
the  moment.  I  think  she  had  been  thorougly  aroused 
by  the  peril  of  her  situation,  and  it  was  only  at 
the  last  possible  moment,  as  she  understood  the 
case,  that  she  yielded.  Lilian  was  human,  like 
the  rest  of  the  world,  and  she  was  fond  of  her  own 
way.  I  was  willing  to  let  her  have  her  own  way, 
but  when  it  came  to  giving  her  mother  the  con- 
trol of  my  affairs,  I  was  rebellious. 

My  poor  wife  sobbed  in  my  arms,  and  I  could 
hardly  restrain  my  own  tears.  I  would  not  have 
repressed  them  if  Mrs.  Oliphant  had  not  been 
present.  Lilian  was  conquered,  but  I  was  sure 
she  had  only  reached  a  point  which  she  had  desired 
to  attain  before.  I  am  not  sure  that  this  same 
battle  is  not  fought  out  by  every  man  and  wife, 
however  gentle  and  affectionate  they  may  be. 
Some  husbands  are  brutes,  some  wives  are  head- 
strong, but   each   is   always   jealous   of   individual 

160 


My  Wife  concludes  to  stay.     Page  160. 


OVER  THE  PRECIPICE.  1G1 

power  and  influence.  I  think  Lilian  was  disposed 
to  adopt  the  tactics  of  her  mother,  and  rule  her 
own  household ;  but  now  she  had  suddenly- 
become  a  gentle  and  submissive  wife,  and  had  thus 
placed  herself  in  a  position  to  be  potential  in  re- 
gard to  her  husband. 

Mrs.  Oliphant  was  disgusted.  She  frowned  sav- 
agely upon  both  of  us.  She  realized  that  her  influ- 
ence was  gone  forever,  if  this  state  of  feeling 
existed.  Her  cherished  plan  fell  through  and  was 
a  wreck  beyond  the  possibility  of  redemption.  I 
do  not  wonder  that  she  was  disgusted,  for  it  was 
no  trivial  thing  to  be  suddenly  deprived  of  the 
handsome  income  she  derived  from  me,  which  I 
should  have  been  very  glad  to  pay  her,  if  I  could 
have  done  so,  though  not  under  the  egregious 
cheat  of  paying  her  thirty  dollars  a  week  for  board 
which  was  dear  at  ten. 

"  Lilian,"  said  Mrs.  Oliphant,  sternly,  "  I  did 
not  think  you  were  so  weak   and  childish." 

"Weak  and  childish,  mother?  Shall  I  desert 
my  husband  ?  "  added  my  wife,  gently. 

"It  is  not  for  me  to  say  any  thing,  for  I  never 
interfere  between  man  and  wife,"  continued  "  dear 
ma,"  in  the  tone  of  a  martyr.  "  But  I  can't  help 
thinking  that  your  husband  is   very   unreasonable. 

11 


162  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

It  isn't  every  child  that  has  so  good  a  home  as  you 
have,  and  parents  who  are  willing  to  slave  them- 
selves to  death  for  her  !  And  this  is  all  the  thanks 
they  get  for  it !  " 

"  Why,  dear  ma,  what  have  I  done  ?  "  asked 
Lilian,  horrified  at  the  implied  charge  of  ingrati- 
tude. 

"  Nothing,  nothing  !  It  is  no  matter !  "  replied 
Mrs.  Oliphant,  with  a  vigorous  effort  to  appear 
like  a  much-abused  person.  "  I  suppose  it  is  a 
mother's  lot  to  be  deserted  by  her   children." 

"  Deserted,  mother  !  "    exclaimed  my  poor  wife. 

"  I  would  not  say  any  thing,  Lilian,"  I  whispered 
to  her. 

"  After  I  had  made  all  my  arrangements  to 
board  you,  suddenly,  and  without  a  word  of  notice 
you  go  off  and  leave  me.  What  have  I  done  to 
merit  this  treatment?" 

Lilian  followed  my  suggestion,  and  made  no 
reply. 

"  Well,  I  suppose  I  am  not  wanted  here,  and  I 
may  as  well  go,"  she  said,  flouncing  up,  and  aim- 
ing for  the  door. 

"  On  the  contrary,  Mrs.  Oliphant,  we  shall  both 
be  very  glad  to  have  you  come  here  as  often  and 
stay  as  long  as  you  can,"  I  added. 


OVER  THE  PRECIPICE.  163 

"  Yes,  mother,  my  house  shall  be  your  house," 
said  Lilian,  warmly  and  with  much  feeling. 

"It  is  easier  to  talk  than  to  do,"  persisted  Mrs. 
Oliphant,  who  was  determined  to  be  an  abused 
person.     "I'll  go  home  alone." 

"  I  will  go  with  you,  mother  if  you  desire  it." 
interposed  Lilian. 

Mrs.  Oliphant  did  desire  it.  It  is  quite  possible 
she  expected  still  to  conquer  our  united  forces. 

"  Send  the  wagon  for  my  trunks,  Paley,  as  soon 
as  you  please,"  whispered  Lilian,  as  she  left  the 
house  with  her  mother. 

I  need  not  say  that  I  lost  no  time  in  comply- 
ing with  these  stealthy  instructions.  I  hastened 
for  the  job  wagon,  but  it  was  an  hour  before  I 
reached  Mr.  Oliphant's  with  it,  for  I  could  not 
readily  find  a  team  at  that  hour.  The  clock 
struck  six,  and  I  lost  my  train  to  Springhayen; 
but  I  hardly  noticed  the  circumstance,  so  intent 
was  I  upon  healing  the  breach  in  my  domestic 
affairs. 

When  I  arrived  at  the  house,  I  found  Lilian  in 
tears,  and  a  little  inclined  to  yield  again ;  but  the 
appearance  of  the  expressman  seemed  to  strengthen 
her  again.  She  permitted  the  trunks  to  be  car- 
ried down,  and  the  man  departed  with  them. 


164  LIVING  TOO  FAST, 

"  I  cannot  go,  Paley,"  said  she,  as  she  dropped 
into  a  chair. 

"Why  not,  Lilian?" 

"  Mother  is  terribly  incensed  against  me." 

"  She  will  get  oyer  it  in  a  few  days.  What 
does  your  father  say  ?  " 

"  Nothing,"  said  she,  looking  up  at  me,  as 
though  she  thought  I  asked  a  curious  question. 

"  The  sooner  we  go,  Lilian,  the  better  it  will 
be  for  all  of  us,"  I  suggested. 

"  I  will  go,  Paley,  but  I  am  afraid  I  shall  never 
be  happy  again,"  said  she,  rising. 

"  Yes,  you  will,  my  dear.  Your  mother  will  be 
the  same  as  ever  by  to-morrow." 

We  went  down  stairs,  and  found  Mrs.  Oliphant 
in  the  parlor. 

"  Good-by,  mother.  I  shall  come  to  see  you 
every  day,"  said  Lilian,  trying  to  be  cheerful. 

"  Good-by,  Lilian,"  replied  Mrs.  Oliphant,  in  a 
tone  which  indicated  the  depth  of  her  despair. 

Lilian  said  good-by  to  her  sisters,  and  hoped  both 
of  them  would  come  to  the  house  in  Needham 
Street  every  day,  Sundays  not  excepted.  Then 
we  went  home.  Blessed  word  !  It  meant  more  to 
me  than  ever  before.  I  need  hardly  add  that  we 
talked    of    nothing    during    the    evening   but    the 


OVER  THE  PRECIPICE.  165 

exciting  topic  of  the  day,  though  I  tried  frequently 
to  change  the  subject. 

Biddy  was  the  happiest  girl  outside  of  Ireland, 
for  though  my  wife  was  very  sad,  she  was  still 
the  "  missus''  in  her  own  house.  Lilian  confessed 
to  me  that  she  liked  the  house  very  much ;  that 
she  would  not  have  had  it  any  different  if  she  had 
been  consulted,  but  her  mother  was  so  anxious  ta 
have  us  remain  at  her  house  that  she  could  not 
think  of  such  a  thing  as  leaving  her.  If  her 
mother  could  only  be  satisfied  with  the  new 
arrangement,  she  should  be  as  happy  as  any  mor- 
tal in  existence. 

I  hoped  for  the  best.  I  did  not  count  upon 
any  continued  opposition  from  Mrs.  Oliphant,  as 
it  was  so  obviously  for  her  interest  to  keep  the 
peace  now  that  the  Rubicon  had  been  passed.  If 
I  had  not  been  so  busily  occupied  in  smoothing 
the  path  for  Lilian,  I  should  have  made  myself 
very  miserable  over  my  failure  to  visit  Springhaven. 
I  had  four  hundred  dollars  to  pay  on  Monday, 
with  nothing  on  hand  to  meet  the  demand.  It  was 
an  ugly  subject,  and  I  avoided  it  as  much  as  pos- 
sible in  my  meditations,  though  it  would  often 
flash  upon  me.  I  could  not  disappoint  Tom 
Flynn. 


166  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

I  took  an  early  walk  on  Sunday  morning,  and 
invited  Tom  to  drop  in  upon  us  to  dinner  that 
day,  which  he  did.  He  was  delighted  to  see  Lil- 
ian in  her  new  home,  and  congratulated  me  pri- 
vately upon  the  happy  issue  of  the  difficulty.  In 
the  afternoon  Mr.  Oliphant  called.  We  showed 
him  all  over  the  house,  and  the  old  gentleman 
appeared  to  be  in  raptures.  Then  Bertha  and 
Ellen  came,  and  they  visited  every  part  of  the 
new  mansion,  expressing  their  entire  satisfaction 
with  all  the  arrangements. 

After  church,  Tom  called  again,  for  he  never 
staid  away  from  service  for  any  reason,  forenoon 
or  afternoon.  We  sang  psalm  tunes  till  nine 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  truly  home  was  home 
me  to  then,  as  it  had  never  been  before.  Bertha 
was  a  splendid  singer,  and  I  noticed  that  Tom, 
who  was  very  fond  of  music,  appeared  to  be  more 
interested  in  her  than  I  had  ever  before  observed. 
He  went  home  with  her,  and  I  ventured  to  hope 
that  my  example  would  not  be  without  its  influ- 
ence upon  him. 

When  I  went  to  the  bank  the  next  morning, 
Tom  told  me,  in  the  most  careless  manner  in  the 
world,  that  Bertha  was  a  very  pretty  girl,  and  a 
magnificent  singer.     Of  course  I  agreed  with  him, 


OVER  THE  PRECIPICE.  167 

but  the  sight  of  my  friend  thrust  upon  me,  more 
forcibly  than  any  other  consideration,  the  ugly 
fact  that  I  owed  him  four  hundred  dollars,  due 
that  clay.  I  had  not  the  courage  to  ask  him  for 
further  time.  My  honor,  and  more  than  that,  my 
pride,  were  involved.     What  could  I  do  ? 

I  might  run  down  to  Springhaven  at  night.  No, 
I  could  not  leave,  for,  at  church  and  elsewhere, 
we  had  invited  all  our  friends  to  call  upon  us, 
and  I  expected  to  see  company  every  evening 
during  the  week.  I  must  be  at  home.  The 
money  must  be  paid.  There  was  no  possible  way 
by  which  I  could  honorably     postpone  it. 

"  What  time  to-day  do  you  want  that  little 
matter  of  money  I  owe  you,  Tom?"  I  asked  of 
my  friend. 

"  As  soon  after  bank  hours  as  convenient." 

"  You  shall  have  it  at  half-past  two.  I  must 
go  up  the  street  for  it,  and  can't  leave  very  well 
before  the  bank  closes." 

"All  right;  it  will  do  at  three,"  added  my 
obliging  friend. 

What  odds  would  it  make  to  me  whether  the 
time  was  fixed  at  two  or  three  ?  I  was  just  as 
unable  to  pay  it  at  one  time  as  the  other.  A  lucky 
thought  occurred  to   me.     I   could   call  upon  my 


168  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

uncle,  Captain  Halliard,  who  would  no  doubfc  be 
glad  to  redeem  his  credit  with  me  by  lending  me 
any  reasonable  sum  I  wanted.  In  a  week  or  so  I 
could  find  time  to  see  Aunt  Rachel,  and  as  I 
was  her  favorite,  she  would  put  me  in  funds. 

The  bank  closed.  I  was  in  a  tremor  of  anxiety. 
Before  balancing  my  cash,  I  hastened  out  to  find 
my  uncle.  He  was  in  the  Insurance  Office  as  usual 
at  this  hour.  I  asked  him  a  great  many  stupid 
questions  about  indifferent  matters,  without  daring 
to  put  the  main  question.  He  actually  appeared 
to  have  forgotten  that  he  had  insulted  and  offended 
me.  He  was  rather  patronizing  and  stiff  in  his 
manner,  and  the  result  of  the  interview  was  that 
I  did  not  mention  the  matter  nearest  to  my  heart. 
I  was  sure  he  would  refuse  if  I  did  ;  and  I  could 
not  be  humiliated  for  nothing. 

I  was  in  despair.  My  heart  was  in  my  throat. 
My  pride  revolted  at  the  thought  of  telling  Tom 
Flynn  that  I  could  not  pay  him.  I  went  back  to 
the  bank  and  balanced  my  cash.  I  counted  over 
an  immense  sum  of  money.  Four  hundred  dollars 
would  make  me  happy.  Mr.  Bristlebach  had  entire 
confidence  in  me.  Why  could  I  not  borrow  four 
hundred  dollars  of  the  bank  as  conveniently  as  of 
Captain   Halliard. 


OVER  THE  PRECIPICE.  169 

I  trembled  at  the  bare  thought  of  such  a  thing. 
Thus  far  I  had  kept  myself  honest  before  God 
and  man.  But  then  I  did  not  mean  to  steal  this 
sum.  I  would  even  put  a  memorandum  in  the 
drawer,  to  the  effect  that  I  was  indebted  to  the 
bank  for  this  amount.  What  harm?  Who  would 
be  wronged  by  it  ?  I  intended  to  pay  every  penny 
of  it  back  in  a  few  days,  as  soon  as  I  could  visit 
my  aunt.  It  was  a  little  irregular,  but  even  the 
cashier  had  done  a  similar  thing  within  my  knowl- 
edge. No  one  would  ever  know  anything  about 
it,  and  certainly  no  one  would  ever  lose  anything. 

Why  should  I  be  tortured  for  the  want  of  four 
hundred  dollars,  when  thousands  were  lying  idle 
in  my  drawer  ?  Why  should  I  humiliate  myself 
before  Tom  Flynn,  when,  without  wronging  any 
body,  I  could  pay  my  debt,  make  him  happy, 
and  be  happy  myself?  I  was  certain  that  I  could 
return  the  four  hundred  dollars.  My  aunt  would 
certainly  let  me  have  it.  My  uncle  even  would 
lend  it  to  me.  I  had  property  enough  in  my 
house  to  pay  it  three  times  over. 

Why  should  I  linger  here  at  the  brink  of  the 
precipice  over  which  I  had  determined  to  leap? 
I  thought,  as  hundreds  of  others  have  thought,  in 
the  same  trying  situation.     I  comforted  myself,  as 


170  LIVING  TOO  FAST, 

they  have  done,  with  fallacious  reasoning.  I  per- 
suaded myself  that,  as  I  intended  to  pay  back 
what  I  borrowed,  and  convinced  myself  that  I  had 
the  means  to  do  so,  it  was  not  dishonest  for  me 
to  take  the  money.  I  assured  myself  il?  was  only 
a  slight  irregularity  that  I  meditated ;  that,  even 
in  the  sight  of  God,  it  was  only  a  trivial  error  of 
form.  The  Good  Father  judges  us  more  by  our 
intentions  than  by  our  acts. 

Perhaps  I  had  prepared  myself  for  this  step,  as 
every  young  man  does  who  permits  himself  to  run 
in  debt,  who  allows  himself  to  be  continually  sub- 
jected to  a  fearful  temptation  by  the  pressure 
of  obligations  needlessly  incurred.  Certainly  my 
experience  in  furnishing  my  house  had  prepared 
me  for  this  temptation.  It  came  when  I  least 
expected  it.  It  was  but  a  trivial  form  that  I 
purposed  to  break  through;  not  the  law  of  hon- 
esty, of  moral  rectitude. 

I  took  four  one  hundred  dollar  bills  from  my 
drawer,  and  slipped  them  into  my  vest-pocket. 
Everybody  in  the  bank  was  minding  his  own  busi- 
ness. No  one  took  any  notice  of  me.  I  think  I 
must  have  been  as  pale  as  death  when  I  did  the 
deed,  trivial  as  I  chose  to  regard  it.  I  wrote  the 
amount  in  figures,  on  a  slip  of  paper,  and  put  it 


OVER  THE  PRECIPICE.  171 

under  the  bills  in  the  drawer.  I  convinced  myself 
that  this  was  a  suitable  acknowledgement  of  what 
I  had  done,  which  fully  relieved  me  of  every  inten- 
tion of  doing  anything  wrong.  It  is  astonishing 
how  weak  and  silly  we  are  when  we  are  trying 
to  conceal  our  own  errors  from  our  own  eyes. 
The  contents  of  my  drawer  were  transferred  to 
the  vault,  and  I  prepared  to  go  home. 

44  Tom,  I  haven't  had  time  to  get  that  money 
yet,  but  I  will  meet  you  at  three  o'clock,  at  the 
reading-room,"  I  remarked  to  my  friend,  as  easily 
as  I  could. 

"  O,  don't  put  yourself  out,  Paley,"  said  the 
generous  fellow.  "  If  it  is  not  convenient,  let  it 
go." 

"  No,  but  it  shall  be  paid.  The  money  is  all 
ready,  only  I  have  not  had  time  to  go  for  it." 

"  I  hope "  the  matter  has  not  given  you  any 
trouble,  Paley,"  he  added  ;  and  perhaps  I  had  not 
been  entirely  successful  in  concealing  the  anxiety 
which  disturbed  me. 

"  O  no,  not  a  bit !  You  see  my  affairs  at  home 
took  up  my  time,  and  I  neglected  to  attend  to 
the  matter  on  Saturday.  Be  at  the  reading-room 
at  three,  and  I  shall  have  the  money  for  you, 
without  fail." 


172  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  I  will  be  there,  Paley.  But  what  makes  you 
look  so  pale?"  he  inquired. 

"  I  don't  know.  I  haven't  been  very  well,  and 
my  difficulty  at  home  has  worn  upon  me.  But  I'm 
all  right  now,"  I  replied,  assuming  a  very  cheer- 
ful face,  as  I  left  the  bank. 

At  the  appointed  time  Tom  was  at  the  reading- 
room,  and  I  gave  him  the  four  hundred  dollars. 
The  bills  passed  out  of  my  hands,  and  it  was 
forever  too  late  to  undo  what  I  had  done.  I  had 
leaped  over  the  precipice  beneath  which  lie  dis- 
honor, shame  and  disgrace.  I  was  sorely  troubled. 
My  irregularity  vexed  me,  and  I  felt  as  one  tor- 
mented by  a  legion  of  devils. 

The  fact  that  Tom  had  noticed  my  altered 
appearance  put  me  upon  my  guard.  I  tried  to  be 
gay  and  even  joviai.  I  laughed,  cracked  jokes, 
rallied  Tom  on  being  in  love  with  Bertha — any 
thing  to  banish  from  my  mind  the  corroding  feel- 
ing that  I  was  a  defaulter.  I  tore  up  my  note 
which  Tom  handed  to  me.  I  invited  him  to  come 
to  my  house  in  the  evening.  I  invited  him  to 
come  every  evening.  I  know  that  I  must  have 
talked  strangely.  There  seemed  to  be  a  twenty - 
four  pound  cannon  shot  in  the  centre  of  my  brain. 
I  wanted  something  to  elevate  my  spirits.     I  went 


OVER  THE  PRECIPICE.  173 

into  a  bar-room,  and  drank  a  glass  of  whiskey  — 
a  thing  I  had  never  before  done,  though  I  had 
taken  a  glass  of  wine  occasionally. 

The  liquor  inspired  me.  I  drank  a  second  glass, 
at  another  bar-room,  and  found  myself  capable  of 
rising  above  my  troubles.  I  went  home.  Buckleton 
was  there,  waiting  to  see  me. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

A  KEEPER   IN   THE   HOUSE. 

LILIAN  opened  the  door,  and  kissed  me  as 
usual  when  I  came  home. 

"  Why,  Paley,  you  have  been  drinking,"  whis- 
pered she. 

"  I  had  a  severe  pain,  and  took  a  glass  of  whis- 
key.    I  feel  fetter  now,"  I  replied. 

"  There's  a  gentleman  waiting  for  you  in  the 
sitting-room,"  she  added. 

"  Yes,  I  saw  him.  It  is  Buckleton,  an  old 
friend  of  mine.     I  may  ask  him  to  dine  with  us." 

I  think  Lilian  suspected  something  was  wrong 
with  me,  though  I  am  sure  she  had  not  the 
remotest  conception  of  the  nature  and  extent  of 
the  mischief  which  was  gathering  around  us. 
Probably  the  smell  of  my  breath  startled  her, 
with  the  added  fact  that  I  was  a  little  flighty  in 
my  manner,  for  I  believe  that  nothing  can  be 
more  justly  startling  to  a  woman  than  the  possi- 
bility of  her  husband  becoming  a  drunkard.  She 
knew  nothing  whatever  of  my  financial  affairs.     I 

174 


A  KEEPER  IN  THE  HOUSE.  175 

had  never  made  her  my  confidant ;  on  the  contrary, 
I  had  weakly  and  foolishly  assumed  to  be  "full 
of  money,"  and  behaved  with  a  liberality  and 
extravagance  far  beyond  my  means. 

Buckleton  was  waiting  for  me.  I  owed  Buck- 
leton  eight  hundred  dollars,  for  which  he  had  no 
security.  What  did  Buckleton  want  with  me?  It 
had  been  his  own  proposition  to  give  me,  under 
a  liberal  interpretation  of  his  own  words,  unlim- 
ited credit  as  to  time,  if  not  amount.  Why  had 
he  come  to  my  house?  I  had  been  at  the  bank 
all  the  forenoon,  and  that  was  the  proper  place  to 
meet  a  man  in  relation  to  business.  Of  course  if 
I  had  not  owed  him  eight  hundred  dollars,  I  should 
not  have  troubled  my  head  about  this  particular 
visit  of  an  old  acquaintance. 

However,  I  had  drank  two  glasses  of  whiskey, 
and  the  circumstance  of  his  coming  did  not  trouble 
me  much.  I  still  felt  light-hearted,  and  was  not 
disposed  to  let  anything  trouble  me  much  or  long. 
I  smoothed  down  my  hair,  and  after  drinking  a 
glass  of  ice-water  in  the  dining-room,  which  my 
parched  tongue  required,  I  entered  the  room  where 
Buckleton  was  waiting  for  me.  He  was  as  cordial 
as  though  he  had  come  only  as  an  old  friend. 
But  exhilarated  as  I  was,  I  could  not  fail  to  notice 


176  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

a  certain  constraint  on  his  part,  as  though  his 
cordiality  was  in  a  measure  forced. 

He  was  glad  to  see  me.  He  had  business  at 
the  South  End,  and  thought  he  would  call  in  upon 
me  as  he  was  passing.  The  messenger  at  the  bank 
told  me,  the  next  day,  he  had  been  there  to  find 
me  ten  minutes  after  I  left.  But  his  coming  at 
this  particular  time,  he  labored  to  represent,  was 
purely  an  accident.  He  was  glad  to  see  me  so 
well  situated.  He  hoped  I  should  call  on  him  at 
the  West  End  with  Mrs.  Glasswood.  He  had  not 
had  the  pleasure  of  knowing  my  wife,  but  he 
hoped  to  make  her  acquaintance.  All  these  things 
he  said  with  the  utmost  suavity,  and  then  rose 
from  the  sofa  to  take  his  leave ;  but  he  did  not 
take  it,  and  I  knew  he  did  not  intend  to  do  so 
until  he  had  said  something  about  the  little  matter 
of  eight  hundred  dollars  that  I  owed  him.  He  had 
his  hat  in  his  hand,  and  moved  toward  the   door. 

"  Stay  and  dine  with  me,  Buckleton,"  I  inter- 
posed. "  Dinner  is  all  ready,  and  I  should  be 
delighted  to  have  you." 

"  Thank  you  !  Thank  you  !  I  should  be  glad 
to  do  so,  but  I  have  to  meet  a  gentleman  at  the 
store  in  half  an  hour,"  he  replied,  consulting  his 
watch. 


A  KEEPER  IN  THE  HOUSE.  177 

"  Let  him  wait ;  you  needn't  be  over  half  an 
hour  behind   time." 

"  I  can't  do  that,  for  the  fact  is  he  owes  me 
some  money,  and  I  am  desperately  short  just  now." 

Bah !  I  had  given  him  the  opportunity  to  say 
that,  and  it  was  now  an  easy  step  for  him  to  dun 
me. 

"  Well,  come  up  next  Sunday,  won't  you  ? 
And  bring  your  wife  with  you.  We  shall  be 
delighted  to  see  you,"  I  continued,  hoping  to 
throw  him  off  the  track. 

"  I  will,  if  possible  ;  but  I  often  find  that  Mrs. 
Buckleton  has  made  engagements  for  me,  and,  if 
I  remember  rightly,  her  father  and  mother  dine 
with  us  next  Sunday.  Besides,  I  have  been  so 
annoyed  with  business  matters  for  a  week,  that  I 
have  not  felt  much  like  going  into  company.  I 
expected  a  remittance  of  six  thousand  dollars  from 
Havana,  and  learned  the  other  day  that  the  party 
had  stopped  payment.  I  don't  know  what  we 
shall  do  to  meet  our  own  notes.  By  the  way, 
Glasswood,  would  it  be  perfectly  convenient  for 
you  to  pay  the  amount  you  owe  us  in  a  few  days  ?  " 

"It  would  not  be  perfectly  convenient,"  I 
replied,  squarely. 

"  I  know  very  well  that  I  proposed  to  wait  for 

12 


178  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

it,  but,  you  see,  this  confounded  Cuban  affair 
throws  us  all  out  of  groove  ;  and  we  are  in  hot 
water  up  to  the  eyes.  Isn't  it  possible  for  you  to 
pay  it  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  it  is  possible,  but  it  would  be  deused 
inconvenient.  You  know  I  should  not  have  bought 
so  largely  if  you  had  not  suggested  that  I  might 
pay  for  the  goods  in  my  own  time." 

"  We  sold  you,  as  you  are  aware,  at  the  very 
lowest  cash  prices,"  he  added. 

I  was  not  aware  of  it,  but  I  did  not  deem  it 
wise  to  open  any  controversy  on  a  subject  so 
insignificant. 

"  I  don't  see  how  I  can  do  a  thing  for  you, 
Buckleton,  at  present." 

"  It  would  be  a  very  great  accommodation  if 
you  could.  Half  would  be  better  than  nothing, 
though  we  want  every  dollar  we  can  possibly 
raise.     I  will  discount  five  per  cent,  for  cash." 

"  That's  liberal,  but  it  won't  help  me  much." 

"  Think  it  over,  and  see  what  you  can  do  for 
me,  Glasswood.     I  am  in  a  tight  place." 

"  I  am  sorry  for  it,  but  I  haven't  got  quite  set- 
tled yet.  I  shall  be  able  to  pay  you  in  a  couple 
of  months." 

"  I  may  be  in  bankruptcy  before  that  time,"  said 


A  KEEPER  IN  THE  HOUSE.  179 

he,  with  a  grim,  smile.  "  I  will  call  and  see  you 
to-morrow  morning  at  the  bank." 

He  went  away.  I  thought  I  was  inclined  to 
stretch  the  truth  quite  enough  in .  making  out  a 
case,  but  I  could  not  equal  him.  He  was  in  no 
more  danger  of  failing  than  our  bank  was.  The 
Cuban  matter  was  a  myth.  I  was  satisfied  that 
he  had  been  examining  into  the  condition  of 
my  credit.  It  was  more  than  probable  that  he 
had  heard  rumors  of  my  little  difficulty  at  the 
bank,  and  had  not  heard  of  the  triumphant  con- 
clusion of  the  affair.  Shaytop  had  been  whisper- 
ing in  his  ear.  Very  likely  my  uncle  had  hinted 
that  I  was  hying  too  fast.  Certainly  some  persons 
had  been  busy  with  matters  which,  in  my  estima- 
tion, did  not  concern  them.  I  was  indignant,  and 
felt  that  I  had  been  abused.  Let  me  say  to 
young  gentlemen  that  shrewd  business  men  usu- 
ally know  us  better  than  we  know  ourselves,  and 
see  sooner  than  we  which  way  we  are  going. 

Lilian  was  waiting  for  me  in  the  dining-room. 
Of  course  she  wished  to  know  "  what  that  man 
wanted ; "  and  I  turned  off  the  affair  as  best  I 
could.  I  sat  down,  and  for  a  sick  man  who  found 
it  necessary  to  take  medicine,  I  ate  a  very  hearty 
dinner. 


180  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

44  Well,  my  dear,  how  do  you  like  the  house, 
and  housekeeping  ?  "  I  said,  in  order  to  turn  the 
subject  from  "  that  man." 

"  Very  much,  indeed,  Paley.  The  only  draw- 
back is  that  mother  feels  so  badly  about  it." 

44  O,  well!  she  will  get  over  it  in  a  few  days." 

"  Do  you  know,  Paley,  that  I  have  been  think- 
ing of  something  ?  "  she  continued,  looking  up  to 
me  with  that  peculiar  archness  which  indicated 
that  she  had  a  plan  to  propose. 

44  Have  you,  indeed?  Well,  that  is  not  very 
remarkable." 

"  I  don't  know  that  it  is  ;  but  why  don't  you 
ask  me  what  I  have  been  thinking  about?" 

"  Well,  my  dear,  what  have  you  been  thinking 
about?" 

"I'll  tell  you,  since  you  ask,"  laughed  she. 
"  We  haven't  had  anything  like  a  house-warming 

yet." 

"  We  have  not.  That  was  a  great  oversight.  We 
will  invite  our  friends,  and  have  some  nuts  and 
raisins." 

44  Nuts  and  raisins  !  And  be  called  mean  by 
everybody  !  " 

44  Well,  what  do  you  propose  ?  "  I  inquired, 
though  I  was  rather  appalled  at  the  idea  of  pay- 
ing the  bills  for  a  large  party. 


A  KEEPER  IN  THE  HOUSE.  181 

"  I  don't  know ;  but  if  we  invite  all  our  friends, 
we  must  not  be  mean  about  it.  Besides,  I  hope 
mother  will  come,  and  then  we  shall  be  able  to 
make  it  all  up." 

"  I  hope  she   will." 

We  proceeded  to  discuss  the  details  of  the  house- 
warming.  Lilian  thought  it  would  be  cheaper  and 
more  stylish  to  have  Smith  take  charge  of  the 
whole  thing.  He  would  provide  all  the  eatables, 
and  place  a  cream-colored  waiter  in  white  cotton 
gloves  in  the  hall  to  open  the  door  for  the  guests. 
She  thought  it  would  be  more  "  re-church-y ,"  and, 
of  course,  I  could  not  stand  up  against  this  tre- 
mendous argument.  As  I  was  busy  at  the  bank, 
she  would  call  and  see  Smith  herself  the  next 
forenoon. 

She  had  just  been  restored  to  me,  and  I  could 
not  deny  her  anything.  I  think  it  would  have 
broken  her  heart  to  know  that  I  was  up  to  my 
ears  in  debt ;  that  I  could  not  afford  to  pay  Smith 
for  even  a  moderate  thing  in  his  line.  I  ought  to 
have  told  her  the  truth,  the  whole  truth,  but  I  had 
not  the  courage  to  do  so.  I  knew  very  well  that 
the  life  we  had  been  living  at  her  mother's  was 
just  as  distasteful  and  disagreeable  to  her  as  to 
me.     She   had  consented   to    it   for   her   mother's 


182  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

sake,  and  had  been  a  martyr  since  the  day  we 
returned  from  our  bridal  tour.  I  need  not  say 
that  she  was  fond  of  style  and  show,  and  she  had 
deprived  herself  of  all  these  luxuries  for  the  ben- 
efit of  her  family.  The  chain  was  broken,  and 
the  first  thing  was  a  party. 

I  could  not  help  myself  without  being  a  tyrant. 
Smith's  bill  at  the  outside  could  not  be  over  a 
hundred  dollars,  and  that  would  not  kill  me  for 
once.  It  occurred  to  me  that  I  would  limit  the 
expenses  to  one  hundred  dollars,  but  I  did  not 
see  how  they  could  exceed  this  sum ;  so  I  decided 
to  let  Lilian  manage  the  whole  affair  to  suit  her- 
self. I  have  no  doubt  she  would  have  done  very 
well,  and  that  the  result  would  have  been  satis- 
factory to  me,  but  unfortunately  my  wife's  ideas 
were  different  from  mine.  By  an  act  of  grace  on 
the  part  of  a  very  wealthy  gentleman  to  whom  I 
had  been  able  to  render  some  service,  we  were 
invited  to  a  great  birthday  party  of  his  daughter, 
shortly  after  our  marriage.  Lilian's  pretty  face 
and  graceful  figure  made  her  a  great  favorite  among 
the  gentlemen,  and  she  made  quite  a  sensation. 
Of  course  I  was  proud  of  her  and  Lilian  deemed 
it  the  most  fortunate  thing  in  the  world  to  obtain 
the  entree  of  such  company. 


A  KEEPER  IN  THE  HOUSE.  183 

It  never  occurred  to  me  that  Lilian  would 
attempt  to  imitate  the  style  of  my  wealthy  friend, 
or  to  invite  any  of  the  acquaintances  she  had 
made  there.  She  knew  that  I  was  a  bank-teller, 
on  a  salary  of  two  thousand  dollars,  and  of  course 
she  could  not  think  of  competing  with  a  million- 
aire. I  went  to  the  bank  the  next  day,  and  Lil- 
ian went  to  Smith's.  While  I  was  looking  at  the 
morning  paper,  Buckleton  appeared.  He  did  not 
seem  to  have  the  same  suavity  which  had  dis- 
tinguished him  at  my  house.  On  the  contrary,  he 
was  rather  stiff  and  decided  in  his  manner.  I  told 
him  it  was  quite  impossible  for  me  to  pay  the 
bill  at  present. 

"  Glasswood,  I  must  be  square  about  this  busi- 
ness. Things  were  not  exactly  as  I  supposed, 
when  I  sold  you  those  goods.  I  must  have  the 
money  or  security  for  the  debt  at  once." 

I  was  mad.  Some  one  had  been  talking  to  him 
about  me,  and  he  had  listened  to  the  foe  rather 
than  to  me. 

"  You  seem  to  be  putting  a  different  face  upon 
the  affair.  Yesterday  you  were  short ;  to-day  you 
are  afraid  of  losing  the  money,"  I  replied,  coldly. 

"  I  only  want  to  know  what  you  are  going  to 
do." 


184  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  You  told  me  to  pay  for  the  goods  when  it 
was  convenient.  If  you  had  not  said  so,  I  should 
not  have  bought  them." 

"  Give  me  a  mortgage  on  the  furniture  in  your 
house,  and  I  will  wait  any  reasonable  time." 

"  I  won't  do  it !  "  I  replied,  angrily. 

"  Very  well ;  we  needn't  talk  any  more  about 
it." 

"  You  professed  to  be  my  friend,  and  were  will- 
ing to  accommodate  me." 

44  Circumstances  alter  cases.  I  have  different 
information  now." 

44  What  information  have  you  ?  "  I  demanded. 

"  I  am  not  at  liberty  to  say.  I  never  betray 
any  man's  confidence.  You  are  living  beyond  your 
means.  I  am  willing  to  do  anything  that's  fair, 
but  I  must  have  the  money  or  the  security." 

44  I'll  see  you  after  bank  hours  to-day." 

44  Perhaps  you  will,"  said  he,  leaving  the  bank 
very  abruptly. 

Who  had  been  talking  to  this  man  ?  I  never 
knew,  but  I  am  forced  to  acknowledge  now,  what 
I  did  not  believe  then,  that  his  information  was 
correct.  I  was  vexed  and  disconcerted,  and  as  the 
forenoon  wore  away,  and  my  wrath  abated,  I 
concluded    to    give    him     the    mortgage    on    my 


A  KEEPER  IN  THE  HOUSE.  185 

household  furniture.  This  matter  was  so  absorb- 
ing that  I  hardly  thought  of  the  four  hundred 
dollars  I  owed  the  bank  till  the  memorandum  I 
had  put  in  the  drawer  attracted  my  attention.  I 
do  not  know  why  I  tore  it  up  and  threw  it  into 
the  waste-basket,  but  I  did  so. 

Mr.  Bristlebach  was  very  gentle  towards  me  ;  so 
was  the  cashier ;  and  I  was  confident  that  no  one 
suspected  my  cash  was  four  hundred  short.  The 
late  inquiry  into  the  condition  of  my  department, 
instead  of  securing  the  bank,  had  opened  the  way 
for  my  first  irregularity.  I  went  on  with  my 
duties  until  about  one  o'clock,  when  I  was  not 
a  little  astonished  to  see  Biddy  come  into  the 
bank.  My  heart  rose  into  my  mouth.  I  was 
afraid  that  something  had  happened  to  Lilian,  and 
that  she  was  dead  or  very  sick.  But  Biddy  only 
handed  me  a  note,  instead  of  making  the  scene  I 
had  anticipated. 

The  note  appeared  to  have  been  very  hastily 
written,  and  was  not  in  Lilian's  usually  careful 
style.  My  name  was  scrawled  hastily  on  the  enve- 
lope. It  occurred  to  me  that  Smith  might  have 
disappointed  her,  but  I  feared  something  worse 
than  this.  I  tore  open  the  note.  The  letter 
covered   two   pages,  and  it   was   evidently  written 


186  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

under  great  excitement.  I  was  alarmed,  and 
hardly  dared  to  read  it,  lest  it  should  inform  me 
that  one  of  her  family  was  dead. 

I  did  read  it,  and  it  went  on  to  tell  me  that, 
while  she  was  away  at  Smith's,  a  deputy  sheriff 
had  come  to  the  house  and  attached  all  the  fur- 
niture, and  left  a  man  there  who  called  himself  a 
"keeper."  She  had  talked  with  this  man,  and  he 
had  told  her  Mr.  Buckleton  was  the  person  who 
had  caused  the  goods  to  be  attached.  These  were 
the  material  statements  of  the  letter,  to  which 
Lilian  added  that  the  matter  was  "  horrid ; "  that 
she  never  felt  so  strangely  before  in  her  life. 
She  wanted  to  know  if  I  really  owed  Mr.  Buckle- 
ton  a  thousand  dollars. 

I  was  almost  stunned  by  this  heavy  blow. 
Some  observations  I  dropped  in  regard  to  Buckle- 
ton  were  not  complimentary  to  that  individual.  I 
could  not  stop  to  think  then.  The  first  business 
was  to  quiet  Lilian,  and  I  wrote  her  a  note,  say- 
ing that  Buckleton  had  taken  offence  at  something 
I  had  said ;  that  the  affair  was  a  mere  trifle,  and 
I  would  send  the  man  away  with  a  flea  in  his 
ear  when  I  went  home  to  dinner.  I  sent  Biddy 
off  with  this  note. 

A  keeper  in  my  house  !     What  could  I  do  ? 


CHAPTER  XIIL 
THE   SECOND    STEP. 


UT    TOLD  you 
JL  so !  " 

It  was  not  easy 
for  me  to  tell  what 
to  do.  Eight  hun- 
dred dollars  and  all 
the  expenses  o  f  the 
attachment.  The 
keeper  was  in  my 
house  at  that  moment 
and  poor  Lilian 
appeared  to  be  frightened  out  of  her  wits.  It 
was  easy  enough  for  me  to  nourish  and  call  it  a 
small  matter,  but  I  could  not  put  my  hand  upon 
the  money  which  was  to  lift  the  load  from  my 
shoulders. 

What  a  crash  there  would  be  if  this  keeper 
was  not  driven  from  the  house  that  very  day! 
What  a  text  it  would  afford  for  "  dear  ma!" 
How    she   would    declare  that   it  was   a  judgment 

187 


188  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

upon  me  for  my  wickedness  in  turning  Lilian  from 
the  maternal  bosom!  How  poor  Lilian  would  suf- 
fer under  this  terrible  infliction  ! 

It  was  galling  to  me  even  to  think  of  exposing 
myself  to  the  fire  of  Mrs.  Oliphant,  and  I  was 
willing  to  drown  myself  rather  than  suffer  the 
punishment  she  could  inflict  with  her  tongue.  It 
was  horrible  to  anticipate  her  "  I  told  you  so ! " 
It  would  be  the  sum  total  of  all  miseries  to  be 
pitied  and  advised  by  her.  I  must  either  run 
away  and  leave  Lilian  to  her  fate,  or  pay  this 
debt;  for  I  could  not  think  of  breasting  the  storm 
which  would  follow  an  exposure  of  my  financial 
condition. 

The  cold  sweat  stood  on  my  brow  as  I  thought 
of  the  situation.  But  I  was  naturally  hopeful  and 
sanguine.  If  I  had  not  been  so,  I  should  never 
have  incurred  the  burden  of  debt  which  now 
weighed  me  down.  1  began  to  devise  expedients ; 
and  Aunt  Rachel  was  always  the  foremost  of 
expedients  with  me.  The  venerable  spinster  had 
thirty  thousand  dollars  according  to  the  calcula- 
tions of  Captain  Halliard,  which  was  one-third 
more  than  I  had  ever  supposed.  It  was  currently 
reported,  and  currently  believed,  that  I  was  to  be 
her  heir.     It  was  true  that  the  old  lady  had  never 


THE  SECOND  STEP.  189 

expressed  herself  to  this  effect  in  so  many  words, 
but  among  our  friends  and  relations  this  theory 
was  fully  accepted. 

It  could  make  no  difference  to  her  if  she 
advanced  one  or  two  thousand  dollars  before  she 
shuffled  off  her  mortal  coil.  I  had  so  easily  per- 
suaded her  to  let  me  have  a  thousand  dollars,  that 
I  was  confident  the  second  thousand  would  come 
without  much  difficulty.  If  I  could  only  find  time 
to  see  her,  I  was  satisfied  my  powers  of  persua- 
sion would  do  the  rest.  I  wanted  twelve  hundred 
dollars  ;  but  this  sum  would  barely  cover  my  press- 
ing liabilities,  and  I  made  up  my  mind  that  fif- 
teen hundred  would  come  as  easily  as  twelve  hun- 
dred, and  the  difference  would  enable  me  to  meet 
the  cost  of  the  attachment,  Lilian's  house-warm- 
ing, and  other  little  matters  which  would  appear 
before  the  next  pay-day. 

I  had  entire  confidence  in  my  own  powers.  I 
could  put  my  hand  on  my  heart,  and  say  that  I 
had  always  treated  Aunt  Rachel  with  kindness 
and  consideration.  I  had  always  been  a  favorite 
with  her,  and  I  was  positive  that  the  old  lady 
could  not  resist  my  eloquence.  In  fact,  I  was  as 
sure  of  the  money  as  though  it  had  already  been 
in  my   pocket;  and  as  I   considered  the   subject  I 


190  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

became  hopeful  and  happy.  But  I  could  not  go 
to  Springhaven  that  night,  and  in  a  few  hours 
more  that  abominable  keeper  might  reveal  his 
presence  in  my  house  to  the  whole  neighborhood. 
Lilian  did  not  understand  the  matter,  and  if  any 
of  her  dear  friends  called,  she  might  relate  to 
them  the  wretched  story  I  had  written  in  my 
note. 

The  keeper  must  be  sent  out  of  the  house  as 
soon  as  I  could  get  away  from  the  bank.  His 
staying  there  any  longer  would  certainly  ruin  me. 
Whatever  else  was  doubtful,  this  was  plain.  Tom 
Flynn  stood  near  me.  He  had  money,  though  he 
had  just  invested  all  he  had  in  stocks ;  but  I  was 
sure,  if  I  told  him  the  whole  truth,  he  would  help 
me  out  of  the  difficulty  even  if  he  had  to  sell  his 
stocks,  and  sacrifice  his  dividends.  But  it  was  too 
humiliating  to  think  of  telling  him  that  I  had 
plunged  into  a  sea  of  debt,  and  was  already  strug- 
gling for  life  in  the  waves. 

I  did  think  of  calling  upon  my  uncle,  but  I 
rejected  the  suggestion  on  the  instant,  for  I  could 
not  listen  to  the  storm  of  invectives  he  would 
heap  upon  me ;  and,  besides,  he  would  tell  my 
Aunt  Rachel,  and  thus  give  her  a  bad  opinion  of 
me.  The  old  lady  might  disinherit  me  as  a  "  fast 
boy." 


THE  SECOND  STEP.  191 

Buckleton  had  offered  to  take  a  mortgage  on  my 
furniture  ior  security.  This  seemed  to  be  the 
most  practicable  solution  of  the  problem  which  had 
yet  presented  itself.  But  what  was  the  use  of 
mortgaging  the  property  when  I  could  pay  the 
debt  as  soon  as  I  had  seen  Aunt  Rachel  ?  Besides, 
if  there  was  a  man  on  the  face  of  the  footstool 
whom  I  hated  with  all  my  mind,  heart  and  soul, 
that  man  was  Buckleton.  He  had  induced  me  to 
purchase  more  extensively  than  I  intended  by 
holding  out  to  me  the  most  liberal  terms  of  credit. 
Now,  in  less  than  a  month,  he  was  putting  the 
twisters  upon  me.  I  regarded  him  as  a  treacher- 
ous and  unfeeling  man  ;  one  without  a  soul ;  one 
who  would  sell  his  friend  for  sixpence.  I  de- 
spised him  from  the  deepest  depths  of  my  heart, 
and  the  idea  of  asking  a  favor  of  him,  or  even  of 
having  a  word  to  say  to  him,  was  utterly  repul- 
sive to  me.  I  could  not  see  him  ;  I  could  only 
treat  him  with  cold  and  dignified  contempt. 

Perhaps  it  was  not  becoming  in  one  situated  as 
I  was  to  put  on  such  airs,  or  to  attempt  to  save 
my  dignity.  I  could  not  help  it.  I  was  proud  — 
I  wish  I  had  been  too  proud  to  do  a  wrong  deed. 
There  appeared  to  be  no  resource  to  which  I 
could   turn   for    immediate  relief.     Of   the    fifteen 


192  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

hundred  dollars  for  which  I  had  decided  to  ask 
my  aunt,  I  was  perfectly  sure.  If  the  old  lady 
hesitated,  I  could  tell  her  that  ruin  stared  me  in 
the  face,  that  I  should  be  compelled  to  run  away, 
and  never  show  my  face  about  Boston  again,  if  I 
did  not  obtain  this  money.  I  was  satisfied  this 
threat  would  bring  the  money,  if  nothing  else 
did.  I  could  assure  her  it  would  be  all  the  same 
with  her.  I  would  pay  her  the  highest  rate  of 
interest,  and  return  the  principal  in  a  short  time. 
If  she  wished  it,  I  could  give  her  security  on  my 
furniture  for  the  amount. 

I  was  sure  of  the  money  from  her.  Why  should 
I  be  distressed  for  the  want  of  it  during  the  few 
days  that  must  elapse  before  I  could  see  her  ? 
There  was  no  reason,  in  my  estimation.  I  need  not 
inform  the  reader  that  by  this  time  I  meditated  tak- 
ing another  loan  from  the  bank  funds  in  my  keep- 
ing. I  could  borrow  eleven  hundred  more,  thus 
making  my  total  indebtedness  to  the  bank  fifteen 
hundred.  A  few  days,  or  even  a  week  hence,  I 
should  receive  the  loan  from  Aunt  Rachel,  and  I 
could  slip  the  whole  amount  in  the  drawer.  Then 
I  should  be  square  with  the  bank.  Then  no  one 
would  have  the  power  to  distress  me. 

Two  o'clock  came,  and  the  bank  closed.     With 


THE  SECOND  STEP.  193 

far  less  compunction  than  I  had  experienced  on 
the  former  occasion,  I  took  eleven  hundred  dol- 
lars from  my  drawer  as  I  transferred  the  cash  to 
the  safe.  I  did  not  go  through  with  the  idle  for- 
mality of  depositing  a  memorandum  in  my  trunk 
with  the  money.  It  was  a  loan  for  a  few  days, 
which  Aunt  Rachel  would  enable  me  to  pay.  I 
will  not  say  that  I  did  not  tremble  —  I  did.  I 
did  not  persuade  myself  that  the  act  was  right, 
only  that  I  intended  no  wrong.  I  called  the  deed 
simply  an  "  irregularity."  It  was  not  stealing, 
embezzlement,  or  any  other  ugly  thing  with  a 
savage  name.  I  had  the  money  in  my  pocket, 
and  I  think  this  fact  was  the  basis  of  all  the 
arguments  I  used  in  persuading  myself  that  I  had 
not  done  a  very  wicked  act. 

As  soon  as  I  had  balanced  my  cash  I  left  the 
bank  and  hastened  home.  I  need  not  say  that 
Lilian  was  in  a  tempest  of  excitement,  in  spite  of 
my  consoling  note.  The  horrible  keeper  sat  in 
the  dining-room,  reading  the  morning  paper,  and 
apparently  unconscious  of  the  misery  he  had  brought 
to  my  house.  He  was  polite  and  gentlemanly,  and 
I  was  magnanimous  enough  to  treat  him  with 
consideration.  I  inquired  into  the  particulars  of 
the  case,  and  proposed  to  settle  the  claim  at  once. 
13 


194  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

He  had  no  authority  to  settle  it,  and  referred  me 
to  Messrs.  Shiver  &  Sharp,  attorneys,  in  Court 
Street,  who  had  procured  the  writ. 

Dinner  was  nearly  ready,  and  I  invited  the 
keeper  to  dine  with  me.  He  was  condescending 
enough  to  accept,  and  while  we  sat  at  the  table 
I  did  some  large  talking,  in  which  I  was  partic- 
ularly severe  upon  Buckleton,  and  particularly 
complimentary  to  Glasswood,  the  latter  of  whom 
was  a  highly  honorable  man,  who  had  been  grossly 
wronged  by  the  former.  Buckleton  had  put  on 
the  attachment  out  of  spite.  Glasswood  had 
always  paid  his  debts  fairly  and  squarely,  but 
would  not  be  imposed  upon. 

After  dinner  I  rushed  down  to  the  office  of 
Messrs.  Shiver  &  Sharp.  I  was  indignant  and 
savage,  but  I  was  magnificent.  I  rolled  out  the 
hundred-dollar  bills  with  a  perfect  looseness.  I 
did  not  even  dispute  the  costs.  I  paid  all,  to  the 
utmost  penny  demanded.  Then  I  talked  about  the 
insult,  the  stain  upon  my  honor,  and  dilated  upon 
kindred  topics,  but  I  fear  I  failed  to  make  any 
strong  impression  upon  the  astute  Mr.  Sharp,  who 
conducted  the  business.  He  was  polite,  but  he 
was  cold.  He  gave  me  a  note  to  the  keeper, 
which    I    delivered    on    my    return    to    Needham 


THE  SECOND  STEP.  195 

Street,  and  which  caused  his  immediate  departure, 
after  he  had  carefully  examined  the  well-known 
signature  of  the  legal  firm. 

"  Such  things  are  unpleasant,  Lilian,  but  I  sup- 
pose they  have  happened  to  almost  all  men  at  one 
time  or  another,"  I  remarked,  as  soon  as  the  door 
had  closed  upon  our  unwelcome  guest. 

"I  never  was  so  frightened  before  in  my  life," 
she  replied  with  a  deep  sigh,  indicative  of  the 
relief  she  felt. 

"It  was  a  miserable  trick!  It  was  too  mean 
for  any  decent  man  to  be  guilty  of." 

"But  did  you  really  owe  this  Buckleton?" 

"  I  did  really  owe  him  about  eight  hundred 
dollars,  but  he  told  me  at  the  time  I  bought  the 
furniture  to  pay  him  whenever  it  was  convenient. 
It  was  not  convenient  to  pay  him  to-day,  and 
he  sued  me.  You  know,  my  dear,  that  when  one 
has  money  comfortably  invested,  drawing  large 
interest,  one  does  not  like  to  disturb  it,  at  least, 
just  before  dividends  are  payable." 

"It's  too  bad!"  exclaimed  Lilian,  warmly,  her 
pretty  face  beaming  with  sympathy ;  and  she  actu- 
ally believed  that  the  indefinite  pronoun  I  had 
used  in  my  description  represented  myself. 

"  Well,  Lilian,  what  have  you  done   about  the 


196  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

party  ?  "  I  inquired,  rather  anxious  to  change  the 
topic,  lest  she  should  desire  to  know  more  of  my 
financial  affairs. 

"  I  have  seen  Smith,  and  made  all  the  arrange- 
ments for  next  Friday  evening.  As  it  is  to  be  a 
house-warming,  we  must  not  put  it  off  too  long. 
But,  dear  me,  when  I  came  home,  and  found  this 
awful  man  here,  I  was  so  alarmed  that  I  was  on 
the  point  of  countermanding  the  order  I  had  given." 

"  It's  all  right  now.  But  you  must  hurry  up 
your  invitations." 

"  There  is  time  enough  for  them.  We  will  pre- 
pare the  list  this  evening.  But,  Paley,  what  shall 
we  do  for  a  piano?  It  will  be  very  awkward  to 
be  without  a  piano  on  such  an  occasion.  Besides, 
people  will  think  we  are  nobody  if  we  don't  have 
one." 

"  That's  very  true,  Lilian,"  I  replied,  somewhat 
startled  by  the  proposition.  "  But  I'm  afraid  we 
can  hardly  afford  to  buy  one  just  yet.  Such  a 
one  as  I  want  would  cost   five   hundred   dollars." 

"  A  cheaper  one  will  do." 

"  But  it  is  bad  economy  to  buy  a  cheap  one. 
In  the  course  of  six  months  or  a  year  I  shall  be 
able  to  buy  a  good  one." 

"We  must  have  one  for  this  party." 


THE  SECOND  STEP.  197 

"I  will  see  what  can  be   done   before   Friday." 

"  And,  Paley,  you  furnished  the  house  beauti- 
fully, but  there  is  just  one  thing  for  the  parlor 
that  you  forgot,"  continued  Lilian,  bestowing  upon 
me  her  most  winning  smile. 

"  What  is  that  ?  " 

"  An  etagere.  It  would  set  off  the  parlor  more 
than  all  the  rest  of  the  furniture." 

"  But  it  would    cost   about  a   hundred  dollars." 

"I  would  rather  do  without  many  other  things 
than  not  have  an  etagere"  replied  Lilian,  begin- 
ning to  look  very  sad. 

"  Will  you  go  down  town  and  look  at  some  of 
them  ? "  said  I,  looking  as  amiable  as  though  I 
had  not  borrowed  fifteen  hundred  dollars  of  the 
bank. 

"  Dear  me !  I  can't  go  this  afternoon.  I  have 
everything  to  do.  But  your  taste  is  so  good, 
Paley,  that  you  can  buy  one  just  as  well  without 
me." 

I  left  the  house  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  a 
piano  and  an  etagere.  Buckleton  had  showed  me 
the  latter  article,  and  insisted  that  my  house 
would  not  be  furnished  without  it.  I  had  posi- 
tively refused  to  buy  it,  for  two  reasons.  First, 
because  I  could  not  afford  it ;  and,  second,  because 


198  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

no  one  could  pronounce  the  name  of  the  thing. 
I  confess  that  it  seemed  to  be  a  greater  sin  to 
place  such  a  piece  of  furniture  where  plain  Yan- 
kees would  be  tempted  to  utter  its  name,  than  it 
was  to  indulge  in  criminal  extravagance.  Lilian's 
French  had  been  neglected,  and  she  made  a  bad 
botch  of  the  word,  but  I  decided  to  instruct  her 
in  the  difficult  task  of  pronouncing  the  word. 

I  went  to  a  piano-forte  house.  The  book-keeper 
made  his  deposits  and  drew  his  checks  over  our 
counter.  I  knew  him.  He  showed  me  a  five 
hundred  dollar  instrument.  It  suited  me  —  the 
piano,  not  the  price.  A  lower-priced  one  did  not 
meet  my  views.  I  proposed  an  arrangement  with 
the  concern,  that  I  would  hire  the  instrument 
with  the  intention  of  purchasing  if  it  suited  me. 
One  of  the  firm  was  consulted.  Perhaps  he  knew 
that  persons  who  once  indulged  in  a  luxury  would 
not  willingly  give  it  up.  He  consented  to  let  it 
for  three  months,  with  the  privilege  of  purchasing 
at  the  end  of  that  time.  It  was  ordered  to  my 
house.  The  piano  was  provided  for  at  an  expense 
of  twenty-five  dollars,  if  not  bought,  for  three 
months. 

The  etagere  was  a  more  difficult  matter.  I  could 
not  hire  one,  and  I  did  not  like  to  pay  a  hundred 


THE  SECOND  STEP.  199 

dollars  for  such  a  useless  piece  of  furniture ;  but 
there  was  no  alternative.  Lilian  had  said  she 
must  have  one.  I  had  nearly  three  hundred  dollars 
in  my  pocket,  but  with  this  sum  I  intended  to 
pay  Smith,  and  get  rid  of  my  "floating  debt,"  so 
that  I  should  owe  no  one  but  Aunt  Rachel.  But 
Smith's  bill  could  not  be  over  a  hundred  dollars, 
at  the  most  extravagant  figure,  and  I  thought  I 
could  spare  enough  for  the  etagere. 

I  went  to  a  store  near  Buckleton's.  While  I 
was  looking  at  the  etagere  my  late  creditor  came 
into  the  store.  I  was  just  closing  the  bargain  at 
ninety-five  dollars.  Buckle  ton  had  heard  from  his 
lawyer,  and  was  glad  to  meet  me.  I  was  glad  to 
have  him  see  me  purchase  this  piece  of  furniture. 
He  spoke  to  me.  I  did  not  answer  him.  He 
attempted  to  apologize.  I  did  not  look  at  him. 
I  closed  my  bargain,  and  asked  for  the  bill. 
Buckleton  was  evidently  vexed,  and  felt  as  any 
man  does  when  he  has  lost  a  customer.  I  enjoyed 
it. 

44 1  will  sell  you  that  same  article  for  seventy- 
five  dollars,"  he  whispered  in  my  ear,  just  before 
I  closed  the  bargain. 

"I  would  not  take  it,  if  you  would  give  it  to 
me,"  I  replied. 

"  I  think  I  made  a  mistake  to-day." 


200  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  The  mistake  of  your  life  time,' '  I  retorted. 
"Don't  speak  to  me  again.     I  despise  you." 

I  stalked  out  of  his  reach,  paid  my  bill,  and  went 
home.  In  the  evening  Lilian  and  I  made  out  the 
list  of  invitations.  Of  course  I  could  not  over- 
rule Lilian's  decisions,  and  not  less  than  fifty 
were  invited  —  all  our  house  would  hold.  It 
included  my  rich  friend's  family,  and  I  began  to 
tremble  for  the  result. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


THE   HOUSE  -  WARMING-. 


H  E  next  day  the 
piano  and  the  etagere 
came,  and  were  duly 
disposed  of  in  our 
pretty  parlor.  I  could 
not  help  agreeing 
with  Lilian  that  both 
of  them  were  abso- 
lutely necessary  to 
the  proper  appoint- 
ment of  the  room. 
After  she  had  cov- 
ered the  etagere  with 
a  variety  of  articles, 
most    of   which   had 

to  be  purchased  for  the  purpose,  the   effect  was 

pleasing. 

The   piano    filled    a    waiting    space ;   and  really 

there  seemed  to  be  nothing  more   to   wish  for   in 

this  world.     Lilian  played  a  few  tunes  on  the  new 

201 


202  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

instrument,  and  my  home  seemed  to  be  invested 
with  a  new  charm.  Beyond  the  party,  I  looked 
forward  to  pleasant  hours  when  our  friends  should 
gather  in  this  room  on  Sunday  evening  to  sing 
sacred  music,  for  which  Tom  Flynn  had  a  decided 
partiality. 

On  Friday  morning  I  went  to  the  bank  as  usual. 
When  I  returned,  Smith  had  taken  possession  of 
the  house,  and  was  making  his  arrangements  for  the 
grand  occasion  in  the  evening.  I  am  bound  to  say 
that  he  made  but  little  fuss  for  so  great  an  affair 
When  the  evening  came,  a  colored  gentleman  in 
white  cotton  gloves  was  stationed  afc  the  door, 
and  more  waiters  were  disposed  of  in  other  parts 
of  the  house.  People  came — every  body  Lilian 
had  invited,  except  those  she  wanted  most,  viz: 
my  wealthy  friend  from  Beacon  Street,  with  his 
family.  They  did  not  come,  and  I  had  not  sup- 
posed they  would. 

Mrs.  Oliphant  came,  and  certainly  this  was  a 
triumph.  Lilian  felt  that  she  had  outgeneralled 
her  mother,  and  conquered  a  peace.  I  am  afraid 
it  required  a  desperate  struggle  on  the  part  of 
"  dear  ma  "  to  yield  the  point,  and  I  could  only 
guess  at  the  consideration  which  induced  her  to 
come  down  from  the  uhigh  horse."     But  she  was 


THE  HOUSE-WARMING.  203 

stiff  and  magnificent  at  first.  She  did  not  seem 
to  enjoy  the  affair,  and  looked  upon  me  as  an 
ogre  who  had   defeated  all  her  cherished  plans. 

Miss  Bertha  came,  and  so  did  Tom ;  and  early 
in  the  evening  I  was  not  a  little  surprised  to  hear 
the  piano  giving  out  the  solemn  notes  of  Peterboro 
and  Hebron,  sung  by  a  large  portion  of  the  com- 
pany. The  instrument  was  pronounced  excellent. 
Bertha  sang  like  a  nightingale,  and  I  am  not  sure 
that  the  piano  did  not  cement  a  regard  which 
ultimately  transformed  the  fair  pianist  into  Mrs. 
Tom  Flynn. 

Everything  went  well,  and  at  eleven  o'clock 
Smith's  supper  was  uncovered.  When  I  saw  the 
stores  with  which  the  table  was  loaded,  I  was 
afraid  that  the  expense  would  spoil  the  face  of  a 
hundred  dollar  bill.  A  little  later,  when  cham- 
pagne, Madeira  and  sherry  were  produced*,  I  was 
somewhat  troubled.  Reading  the  dates  on  the 
bottles,  I  was  absolutely  alarmed. 

"  I  did  not  think  you  intended  to  have  wine, 
Lilian,"  I  remarked,  rather  seriously. 

"  Not  have  wine  !  "  exclaimed  she,  after  she  had 
imbibed  a  glass  of  champagne.  "  Why,  it  would 
be  no  party  at  all  without  wine.  I  told  Smith  to 
bring  the  best,  and  plenty  pf  it." 


204  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

He  had  evidently  done  so,  and  I  groaned  in 
spirit. 

"  Tom  Flynn  don't  drink  wine,"  I  added. 

"L'et  him  drink  coffee,  then.  We  can  suit  his 
taste." 

"  He  thinks  it  is  wicked  to  furnish  wine." 

"  Well,  he  can  have  the  full  benefit  of  his 
opinion,"  laughed  Lilian,  whose  tongue  flew  mer- 
rily under  the'  stimulus  of  the  wine  she  had  drank. 

Mrs.  Oliphaht  took  champagne,  and  warmed  up 
under  its  influence.  She  became  quite  sociable, 
and  even  forgiving.  I  was  very  glad  to  see  that 
Miss  Bertha,  for  some  reason  best  known  to  her- 
sell,  did  not  partake  of  the  generous  beverage.  I 
am  not  sure  that  it  was  not  the  prospect  of  dis- 
posing of  another  of  her  incumbrances  quite  as 
much  as  the  influence  of  the  champagne  which 
melted  Mrs.  Oliphant.  Certainly  Miss  Bertha's 
chances  were  very  flattering.  Psalmody  seemed 
to  have  done  its  perfect  work. 

Tom  looked  very  serious  when  the  wine  began 
to  flow  in  rivers  of  profusion.  He  did  not  like  it, 
and  he  seemed  to  be  out  of  his  element.  While 
most  of  the  party  were  eating  and  drinking 
in  the  hall,  dining  and  'sitting-rooms,  I  heard  the 
voices  of  Bertha  and  Tom  mingling  with  the  notes 


The  House  Warming.     Page  204. 


THE  HOUSE  -  WARMING.  205 

of  the  piano  in  a  sacred  song.  They  were  alone 
in  the  parlor,  preferring  to  be  away  from  the  noisy 
revel  over  the  wine  cup. 

Smith's  stores  of  champagne  and  Madeira  seemed 
to  be  inexhaustible,  and  when  the  clock  struck  one, 
some  of  the  party,  not  excluding  a  few  of  the 
ladies,  were  in  an  exceedingly  happy  frame  of 
mind.  Then  a  dance  was  proposed,  and  Tom  and 
Bertha  were  driven  from  the  parlor.  A  gentleman 
played  and  called  the  changes.  My  good  friend 
was  actually  scandalized  by  the  orgies  of  the  rev- 
ellers. He  never  danced  ;  he  did  not  believe  in 
it.  Bertha  appeared  to  sympathize  with  him,  though 
this  was  not  in  accordance  with  her  antecedents. 

Wine  was  brought  up  to  the  parlor,  and  the 
dance  went  on,  though  some  of  my  guests  were 
slightly  unsteady  in  their  movements.  I  was 
shocked  to  see  how  wild  Lilian  was,  and  I  men- 
tally decided  that  no  wine  should  ever  be  brought 
into  my  house  again,  for  the  occasion  was  now 
nothing  but  a  revel.  Some  of  the  older  of  the 
party  proposed  to  go  home,  and  Tom  joined  them. 
Miss  Bertha  was  attended  to  her  house  by  him. 
When  everybody  was  worn  out,  the  party  broke 
up,  and  all  went  away.  Lilian  dropped  into  her  bed 
exhausted,   and  in   a  measure   stupefied.     As   the 


206  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

hostess,  she  had  been  compelled  to  imbibe  oftener 
than  she  desired,  and  really  I  was  grieved  to  see 
her  in  this  condition.  After  all  was  still,  I  went 
through  the  rooms  to  see  that  the  windows  were 
secure  and  the  lights  put  out.  I  was  shocked 
when  I  saw  what  damage  had  been  done  to  the 
furniture.  The  carpets  were  stained  with  wine, 
ice  cream  and  cake  ;  the  new  piano  was  scratched 
and  discolored,  and  the  cloth  greased.  Besides  the 
cost  of  this  house-warming,  whatever  it  might  be, 
the  damages  could  not  be  less  than  three  hundred 
dollars. 

At  daylight  I  went  to  bed,  sick  at  heart.  I 
doubted  whether  the  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  in 
my  pocket  would  pay  the  bills,  and  I  was  miser- 
able. I  was  in  debt  at  least  twenty-five  hundred 
dollars.  Lilian  slept  heavily  after  the  night's 
debauch.  But  I  could  not  sleep.  What  if  the 
bank  should  discover  what  I  had  done  ?  What 
would  the  world  say  the  next  day,  when  the  par- 
ticulars of  my  party  were  known  ?  for  I  was 
satisfied  they  could  not  be  concealed. 

At  seven  o'clock  I  got  up,  my  head  aching 
fearfully,  for  I  had  not  wholly  spared  the  cham- 
pagne. I  was  positively  miserable.  I  intended  to 
visit  Springhaven   that   day,  and   secure   the  loan 


THE  HO  USE  -  WARMING.  207 

from  Aunt  Rachel.  It  was  not  safe  to  let  the 
matter  stand  any  longer.  I  went  to  the  bank, 
and  with  a  throbbing  brow  attended  to  my  duties. 
Tom  looked  very  serious,  but  he  did  not  say  any 
thing  to  me.  Probably  he  thought  I  was  going 
to  ruin  rapidly,  not  because  I  had  appropriated 
the  funds  of  the  bank,  but  because  I  furnished 
wine  to  my  guests. 

The  news  of  my  party  had  not  yet  been  circu- 
lated, and  I  was  spared  any  allusion  to  it.  When 
I  went  home  I  found  Lilian  had  not  risen  from 
her  bed.  She  was  quite  sick.  Biddy  had  done 
what  she  could  to  restore  the  house  to  its  wonted 
order,  but  it  was  still  in  confusion.  I  could  not 
go  to  Springhaven  that  day.  By  Monday  morning 
Lilian  was  able  to  get  up,  and  was  herself  again. 
She  was  even  willing  to  acknowledge  that  such 
parties  "  do  not  pay."  I  am  sure  I  enjoyed  our 
little  Sunday  evening  gatherings,  when  Tom  and 
Bertha  sang  sacred  music,  much  better. 

When  I  went  to  the  bank  on  Monday,  I  found 
Smith's  bill  enclosed  in  an  envelope.  I  was  afraid 
to  open  it  at  first,  but  when  I  did  so  my  worst 
fears  were  more  than  confirmed.  The  total  was 
three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  of  which  two- 
thirds  was  for  champagne,  Madeira  and  sherry.     I 


208  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

was  appalled"  and  terrified.  It  must  be  promptly 
paid,  or  Smith  would  be  dunning  me.  I  was 
short  two  hundred  dollars. 

I  read  the  bill  a  second  time,  and  I  was  abso- 
lutely in  despair.  My  month's  salary,  when  paid, 
would  not  make  up  the  deficiency ;  and  I  had  all 
my  house  bills  to  provide  for,  which  would  take 
up  the  whole  sum.  I  was  running  blindly  before 
the  wind  to  destruction.  My  extravagance  would 
ruin  me  in  a  short  time.  But  it  was  no  use  to 
cry.  I  was  in  the  scrape,  and  I  must  get  out  of 
it. 

My  hopeful  tendencies  came  to  my  aid.  With 
careful  economy  I  could  soon  pay  my  debts,  A 
bright  idea  flashed  through  my  excited  brain. 
Would  it  not  be  just  as  easy  to  induce  Aunt 
Rachel  to  lend  me  two  thousand  dollars  as  fifteen 
hundred  ?  It  was  a  brilliant  thought,  in  my  esti- 
mation. Five  hundred  dollars  could  make  no  dif- 
ference to  her,  if  the  interest  was  punctually  paid. 
It  was  a  plain  case.  If  the  old  lady  did  not 
promptly  meet  my  views,  I  could  frighten  her  into 
acquiescence.  All  right !  The  two  thousand  was 
sure  enough. 

I  did  not  think  I  should  be  able  to  go  to 
Springhaven  before  Saturday,  and  I  did   not   care 


THE  HO  USE  -  WARMING.  209 

to  receive  a  dunning  visit  from  Smith.  I  might 
as  well  "  be  hung  for  an  old  sheep  as  a  lamb." 
I  could  borrow  five  hundred  more  from  the  bank, 
with  no  greater  risk  than  I  had  already  incurred 
—  and  I  did  so  !  My  cash  was  then  two  thousand 
short;  but  before  another  week  had  pass.ed,  I 
should  get  the  money  from  Aunt  Rachel,  and 
make  good  the  deficit. 

I  called  upon  Smith,  and  paid  the  bill.  I  did 
not  venture  to  suggest  that  it  was  more  than  I 
had  expected  it  would  be.  With  so  much  money 
in  my  pocket  I  felt  rich  again,  and  did  not  bother 
my  head  to  consider  how  I  had  obtained  it.  I 
went  home  in  better  spirits  than  for  a  week. 
I  talked  pleasantly  and  magnificently  to  Lilian.  I 
had  even  forgotten  my  good  resolution  to  practise 
a  rigid  economy,  for  with  three  hundred  dollars 
in  cash  in  my  pocket,  it  no  longer  seemed 
necessary. 

Lilian,  too,  was  in  excellent  spirits.  She  was 
very  affectionate,  and  when  I  sat  down  on  the 
sofa  after  supper,  she  seated  herself  beside  me,  and 
told  me  how  happy  she  was  in  her  new  home, 
and  how  glad  she  was  that  I  had  compelled  her 
to  move  into  it.  With  my  head  upon  her  shoul- 
der   and    her    arm   around  my  neck  she  told    me 


210  LIVING  TOO  FAST, 

how  kind  and  indulgent,  how  tender  and  affec- 
tionate I  had  always  been,  and  then  —  added  that 
she  had  not  had  a  new  dress  since  we  were  mar- 
ried !  Mrs.  Gordon  Grahame  had  just  come  out  in 
a  splendid  black  silk ;  Lilian  had  never  had  a 
black  silk,  and  she  wanted  one  just  like  it. 

"  How  much  will  it  cost,  Lilian  ?  "  I  asked, 
rather  startled  by  this  ultra-affectionate  turn  in 
the  conversation. 

"You  won't  be  angry  with  me,  Paley — will 
you?" 

"  Of  course  I  won't  be  angry  with  you,  Lilian," 
I  laughed. 

"  But  I  have  been  very  economical  with  clothes." 

"  I  know  you  have,  my  dear  ;  and  I  haven't  a 
word  of  fault  to  find.  I  only  asked  how  much 
the  black  silk  would  cost." 

"I  can't  tell  exactly  what  it  will  cost,"  she 
answered,  biting  her  finger  nails,  as  though  she 
feared  even  to  express   an  opinion. 

"Will  it  cost  fifty  dollars?"  I  asked,  thinking 
I  was  placing  it  high. 

"  Fifty  dollars  !  Why,  what  an  ignoramus  you 
are,  Paley !  "  tinkled  she,  in  the  most  silvery  of 
tones.  "  You  don't  think  I  can  buy  a  black  silk 
such  as  a  lady  would  wear  for  fifty  dollars,  do 
you?" 


THE  HOUSE  -  WARNING.  211 

"  "Well,  I  don't  know  any  thing  abont  it,"  I 
replied,  abashed  at  my  own  ignorance.  "Will  a 
hundred  do  it  ?  " 

"  Hardly.  I  can't  tell  precisely  what  it  will 
cost,  but  I  think  Mrs.  Gordon  Grahame's  did 
not  cost  less  than  a  hundred  and  twenty.  Don't 
be  angry  with  me,  Paley.      Don't  look  so  cold !  " 

"  I  am  neither  angry  nor  cold,  dearest,"  I  an- 
swered, pulling  out  my  portmonnaie,  and  taking 
therefrom  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  which  I 
handed  to  her. 

It  was  the  half  I  had  left  of  what  I  had  stolen 
that  day  —  for,  in  the  light  of  after  days,  I  may  as 
well  call  the  act  by  its  true  name.  I  could  not  bear 
to  have  her  accuse  me  of  being  angry,  or  of  being 
cold,  or  of  grudging  her  any  thing  I  had,  or  any 
thing  I  could  get. 

"  O,  thank  you,  Paley !  How  generous  you 
are !  "  she  exclaimed,  giving  me  a  rapturous  kiss. 

She  was  satisfied,  and  so  was  I.  We  talked 
and  read  and  played  backgammon  till  ten  o'clock. 

"  Paley,  won't  you  take  a  glass  of  wine  ?  "  she 
asked.     "  We  had  some  left  the  other  night." 

"  I  don't  care,  Lilian.  Did  I  tell  you  how  much 
that  party  cost?  " 

"No." 

I  told  her. 


212  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  I  think  that  was  quite  reasonable,  considering 
what  we  had.  The  champagne  was  splendid,  and 
the  Madeira  had  been  to  India  three  times  —  so 
Smith  said." 

She  brought  a  bottle  of  sherry.  It  was  old  and 
strong.  I  was  rather  startled  to  see  her  take  two 
glasses  within  a  few  minutes  of  each  other,  and 
I  wished  there  was  no  wine  in  the  house.  We 
went  to  bed  happy,  and  no  thought  of  the  future 
disturbed  me. 

The  following  Saturday  was  the  last  day  of 
the  montlr,  and  I  was  detained  at  the  bank  so 
late  that  I  could  not  go  to  Springhaven.  I  did 
not  like  to  leave  while  others  remained,  for  I  did 
not  know  but  Mr.  Bristlebach  might  take  it  into 
his  head  to  overhaul  my  cash  again.  The  next 
Monday  I  learned  that  Aunt  Rachel  was  very  sick, 
had  been  attacked  with  paralysis.  I  went  down 
to  see  her  that  night.  She  was  almost  senseless, 
and  I  could  not  talk  with  her.  But  she  might  die 
in  a  few  days,  and  then  her  money  would  all  be 
mine  —  I  hoped ;  for  it  did  not  yet  appear  that 
she  had  made  a  will. 

Two  or  three  days  later,  my  uncle,  Captain 
Halliard,  came  into  the  bank  just  as  we  were 
closing.     He    looked  particularly  grim  and  savage. 

"  Paley,  your  aunt  is  very  sick,"  said  he. 


THE  HO  USE  -  WARMING.  213 

"  I  know  she  is,  but  I  hope  she  will  get  better," 
I  replied,  perhaps  stretching  the  truth  no  more 
than  many   people    do  under    such    circumstances. 

"  I  am  attending  to  her  affairs,  as  usual." 

I  bowed,  and  wondered  what  was  coming. 

"  I  found  among  her  papers  a  note  for  a  thou- 
sand dollars,  signed  by  you,"  he  added,  taking 
the  document  from  his  pocket. 

My  heart  came  up  into  my  throat.  What  was 
he  driving  at? 

"  If  you  can  afford  to  give  parties  and  fill  your 
guests  with  champagne,  you  can  afford  to  pay 
this  note,"  he  continued,  sternly. 

My  plan  was  set  at  naught. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

MY  UNCLE   IS    SAY  AGE. 


0 


APTAIN  Hal- 
liard was  as  grim 
as  an  ogre,  and  evi- 
dently intended  t  o 
make  me  pay  the  thou- 
sand dollars  I  owed 
my  Aunt  Rachel.  Of 
course  he  did  not  care 
half  so  much  about  the 
money  as  he  did  to 
bring  me  to  a  realiz- 
Captain  Halliard.  ing  sense  of  the  peril 

of  living  too  fast.  He  had  worked  hard  for  me, 
and  used  his  influence  in  obtaining  the  situation 
I  then  held.  He  was  fond  of  power  and  influence, 
and  a  failure  to  consult  him  in  regard  to  any  im- 
portant movement  was  a  mortal  insult. 

His  views  of  life  and  living  were  different  from 
mine,  and  I  found  it  necessary  to  steer  clear  of 
him.     I    do    not    say  that  this  was  not  a    mistake 

214 


MY  UNCLE  IS  SAVAGE.  215 

on  my  part  —  it  was.  If  I  had  followed  his  pru- 
dent counsels,  I  should  have  kept  out  of  trouble. 
I  had  sinned  against  my  uncle,  and  was  no  more 
worthy  to  be  called  a  'protege  of  his.  I  had  mar- 
ried, I  had  taken  a  house,  I  had  furnished  it,  I 
had  given  a  party,  without  consulting  him,  and 
even  without  inviting  him  to  any  of  the  later  fes- 
tive occasions.  I  knew  that  they  were  not  to  his 
taste,  and  it  was  almost  a  cause  of  offence  to  ask 
him  to  attend  a  merry-making  of  any  kind.* 

He  had  lent  me  three  hundred  dollars  for  my 
bridal  tour,  though  he  did  not  know  what  it  was 
for — if  he  had  he  would  not  have  loaned  it  to  me. 
He  made  me  pay  him  when  it  was  the  least  con- 
venient for  me  to  do  so.  Now  he  crossed  my' 
path  again  in  the  same  disagreeable  manner.  Aunt 
Rachel  was  very  sick.  Probably  Captain  Halliard 
had  deemed  it  his  duty  to  look  over  her  papers 
while  she  lay  insensible  on  her  bed.  Notes  or 
interest  might  fall  due.  Perhaps  it  was  proper 
enough  that  he  should  do  so,  but  it  was  deused 
unfortunate  for  me. 

It  was  equally  unfortunate  that  I  had  written 
this  note  "  On  demand,  with  interest."  I  had 
done  so  because  I  did  not  wish  to  fix  a  time  when 
Aunt  Rachel  would  feel  compelled  to  ask  me    for 


216  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

the  money.  In  avoiding  a  dun  in  this  direction, 
I  had  courted  one  in  an  other.  As  sharp  people 
are  apt  to  do,  I  had  overreached  myself. 

The  captain  was  in  bad  humor.  I  had  once 
been  his  favorite.  If  I  was  so  now,  I  was  under 
a  shadow.  But  the  case  was  a  very  simple  one. 
I  had  been  acting  without  his  advice,  and  con- 
trary to  his  well  known  opinions,  which  was  per- 
haps very  imprudent  in  me.  He  was  a  man  of 
the  world,  with  no  fine  feelings  to  interfere  with 
what  he  regarded  as  his  duty.  Of  course  I  could 
not  think  of  such  a  thing  as  paying  him.  He 
looked  ugly,  and  my  pride  was  touched  by  the 
attitude  in  which  he  placed  himself. 

"Paley,  you  are  going  too  fast !  "  said  my  uncle, 
sternly. 

"I  don't  think  so,  sir." 

"  I  think  so ! "  he  added,  in  a  tone  which 
was  intended  to  indicate  that  he  regarded  the 
question  as  settled,  and  that  it  would  be  useless 
for  me  to  attempt  to  argue  the  matter  with   him. 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean  by  too  fast,"  I 
replied. 

"  Champagne  suppers  !  " 

"  Only  one,  and  probably  I  shall  never  have 
another  as  long  as  I  live." 


MY  UNCLE  IS  SA  VA  GE.  217 

"  You  had  a  party  at  your  house,  and  the 
champagne  flowed  as  free  as  water.  Two  or  three 
hundred  dollars  for  wine  in  one  evening,  as  I  am 
informed  by  one  who  knows!" 

"Who  was  he?" 

"  No  matter  who  he  was.  Deny  it  if  you 
dare." 

"  Well,  I  dare  !  " 

"  Show  me  the  bill,  then ! "   said  he,  fiercely. 

I  was  vexed  and  indignant  at  this  rude  treat- 
ment. I  forgot  that  this  man  had  labored  to  pro- 
cure ray  situation  ;  that  he  was  my  mother's  brother  ; 
that  he  had  always  taken  a  deep  interest  in 
me.  I  could  not  bear  to  be  regarded  as  a  child, 
and  be  taken  to  task  as  such  by  any  one.  My  pride 
revolted. 

"  I  don't  understand  that  you  are  my  guardian," 
I  answered. 

"  I'm  not  your  guardian !  If  I  were,  I  would 
send  you  a  hundred  miles  from  the  city,  and  make 
you  work  on  a  farm.  I'm  the  guardian  of  this 
note,  though  ;  and  it  must  be  paid,  or  I'll  trustee 
your  salary.  When  you  owe  your  aunt  a  thou- 
sand dollars,  you  shall  not  fool  away  your  money 
on  champagne  suppers.     Pay  the  note  !  " 

"  The  note  don't  belong  to  you,"  I  added,  dog- 


218  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

gedly,  as  I  beat  about  me  for  the  means  of  escap- 
ing from  the  uncomfortable  dilemma. 

"  Don't  belong  to  me ! "  growled  my  uncle. 
"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?  " 

"How  did  the  note  come  into  your  possession?" 

"None  of  your  business  how  it  came  into  my 
possession,  you  puppy !  Do  you  mean  to  insult 
me?" 

"No,  sir;  but  I  think  you  mean  to  insult  me." 

"  Insult  you  !  "  sneered  he.  "  Why,  you  young 
cub,  I  am  your  uncle,  and  old  enough  to  be  your 
grandfather !  " 

"  You  are  not  old  enough  to  insult  me." 

"  You  have  said  enough !  Will  you  pay  the 
note  ?  "  demanded  he,  impatiently. 

He  talked  to  me  as  though  he  were  on  the 
quarter-deck,  while  I  belonged  in  the  forecastle. 
He  was  not  in  the  habit  of  permitting  his  posi- 
tions to  be  disputed  by  those  whom  he  regarded 
as  his  dependents  or   inferiors. 

"Not  till  you  have  shown  me  by  what  authority 
you  hold  the  note." 

"  As  the  agent  of  the  promisee !  "  snapped  he. 

"Did  she  authorize  you  to  collect  it?"  I  in- 
quired. 

He    drew    his    out   pocket-book,  and    trembling 


MT  UNCLE  IS  SAVAGE,  219 

with  rage  and  impatience  took  a  document  from 
it,  which  he  thrust  into  my  face.  It  was  a 
general  power  of  attorney,  authorizing  him  to 
transact  any  and  all  business  for  my  aunt,  and 
ratifying  all  his  proceedings  under  it.  Of  course 
it  was  <}ated  before  Aunt  Rachel's  present  sick- 
ness, but  I  could  not  deny  his  power  to  act  under 
it. 

"  Are  you  satisfied  ?  "  said  he,  in  a  triumphant 
tone,  and  he  folded  up  the  paper  and  restored  it 
to  his  pocket-book. 

"  I  am,"  I  answered. 

"  Pay  then  !  " 

"When  do  you  want  the  money?"  I  asked,  in 
a  tone  of  easy  indifference,  for  I  saw  that  I  could 
make  nothing  by  attempting  to  bluff  the  old 
fellow. 

"Now!" 

"  Of  course  I  don't  carry  a  thousand  dollars 
around  with  me,  in  my  pocket,  and  I  did  not  ex- 
pect to  be  called  upon  to  pay  this  note  to-day. 
It  is  not  convenient  for  me  to  do  so." 

"  I  suppose  not,"  sneered  my  uncle.  "  But  you 
seem  to  have  money  enough  to  pay  for  champagne 
suppers,  and  better  furniture  than  I  can  afford  to 
have  in  my  house." 


220  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

Buckleton  was  the  villain  who  had  been  talk- 
ing to  my  uncle!  ''Better  furniture"  meant  the 
etagere.  But  I  must  not  quarrel  with  my  uncle. 
He  had  the  power  to  throw  me  out  of  my  situa- 
tion in  the  bank.  As  my  mother's  brother  he 
would  not  be  likely  to  do  that.  I  was  even  will- 
ing to  believe  that  he  was  acting  for  my  good, 
but  certainly  he  was  doing  so  in  a  very  clumsy 
and  ungainly  manner.  He  evidently  wished  to 
get  me  into  a  tight  place,  where  he  could  con- 
trol me,  and  thus  compel  me  to  forego  my  habits 
of  extravagance. 

"  Uncle,  the  champagne  supper  was  a  mistake. 
I  did  not  know  there  was  to  be  any  wine  until  I 
saw  it.  My  wife  ordered  it  without  my  knowl- 
edge. I  did  not  suspect  she  intended  to  have  it, 
or  I  should  have  spoken  in  season  to  prevent  it." 

"  Very  well ;  let  that  pass,"  said  he,  considera- 
bly mollified.  "  You  have  fifteen  hundred  dollars' 
worth  of  furniture  in  your  house.  I  will  sell  you 
all  mine  for  half  that  sum." 

"  Buckleton  cheated  me  into  taking  twice  as 
much  as  I  wanted." 

"  Humph  !     Did  he  ?  " 

"  He  did." 

"  Did  you  pay  cash  for  all  these  things  ?  " 


MY  UNCLE  IS  SAVAGE.  221 

"  Of  course  I  did ;  though  I  did  not  intend  to 
pay  Buckleton  for  a  month  or  two.  But  he  is  a 
scoundrel,  and  I  was  glad  to  get  rid  of  him,  even 
at  the  expense  of  sacrificing    some  stocks  I    had." 

"  Stocks  ?  "  said  my  uncle. 

"  I  haven't  been  so  reckless  as  you  think  I 
have,"  I  replied.  "  I  saved  two-thirds  of  my  sal- 
ary till  I  was  married,  and  doubled  it  by  specula- 
tion every  year." 

"  What  did  you  borrow  a  thousand  dollars  of 
your  aunt  for?  " 

"  Because  I  didn't  wish  to  sell  a  thousand  dol- 
lars' worth  of  c  coppers '  I  had,  and  still  have,"  I 
continued,  knowing  very  well  what  would  satisfy 
my  uncle.  "  Somebody  was  '  bearing  '  (them  then  ; 
but  they  are  all  right  now,  and  I  shall  make  a 
pretty  thing  on  them  by-and-by." 

"  That's  all  very  well;  but  you  are  living  too 
fast." 

I  was  afraid  he  would  ask  me  what  "  coppers  " 
I  had  been  dickering  in,  but  he  did  not,  probably 
reserving  an  inquiry  into  the  details  of  my  finan- 
cial operations  till  we  were  on  better  terms. 

"I  don't  think  I  am  living  beyond  my  means." 

"I  do  think  so.  You  must  give  up  that  house 
in  Needham  Street,  and  live  within  your  means," 
he  added,  sternly. 


222  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

I  actually  began  to  think  that  he  was  in  league 
with  Mrs.  Oliphant. 

"  I  think  I  can  live  as  cheaply  there  as  any- 
where else." 

"You  can  board  for  half  the  money  it  will  cost 
you." 

"  I  differ  from  you  there,  uncle,  I  replied, 
mildly.     "I  paid—" 

"  You  differ  from  me !  "  exclaimed  he,  angrily. 
"  Do  you  think  I  don't  know  what  I  am  talking 
about.  I  am  older  than  you,  and  I  have  seen 
more  of  the  world.  I  know  what  it  costs  a  man 
to  live." 

"  I  think  I  know  something  about  it." 

44  No,  you  don't !  "  replied  he,  as  arbitrarily  as 
ever.  "  You  can  dispose  of  your  lease,  and  sell 
your  furniture  for  all  it  cost  you,  for  houses  are 
scarce." 

"  I  don't  wish  to  do  so  ;  the  house  and  furni- 
ture are  worth  as  much  to  me  as    to  any  one." 

"  Paley,  you  are  a  fool!"    said  he,  impatiently. 

"  I  came  of  your  stock,  then,"  I  retorted,  rashly, 
for  my  blood  was  warm  again. 

"  None  of  your  impudence  to  me  !  " 

"  None  of  yours  to  me  !  " 

"  I  am  an  older  man  than  you  are." 


MY  UNCLE  IS  SAVAGE.  223 

"  That  gives   you  no   right   to  call  me  a  fool." 

"  Will  you  listen  to   reason  ?  " 

"I  will,  but  not  to  abuse." 

"  Do  you  know  Brentbone  ?  " 

"No,  sir." 

"  He  would  have  taken  the  house  where  you 
live  if  you  had  not.  While  "he  went  to  consult 
his  wife  you  took  it." 

"I  was  told  that  another  raan  would  take  the 
house  in  half  an  hour  if  I  did  not." 

"  Brentbone  was  the  man.  He  was  terribly  dis- 
appointed, for  he  had  set  his  heart  upon  having 
the  house.  He  is  an  old  friend  of  mine,  and  still 
wants  it.  He  is  willing  to  give  you  a  hundred 
dollars  bonus  for  the  house,  and  pay  all  the  bills 
for  the  furniture." 

"  I  am  much  obliged  to  him  for  his  liberal  offer, 
but  I  must  decline  it,"  I  replied,  firmly,  for  I 
could  not  think  of  leaving  the  English  basement 
house,  when  I  was  just  beginning  to  realize  the 
joys  of  home. 

"  Are  you  mad,  Paley  ?  " 

"Not  just  now." 

"  You  can't  afford  to  live  there.  Your  mother- 
in-law  will  board  you  at  half  the  rate  it  will  cost 
you  to  live  in  this  house." 


224  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

Upon  my  word,  it  looked  more  and  more  as  if 
Captain  Halliard  was  in  league  with    "  dear   ma." 

I  hate  mysteries,  and  I  may  as  well  explain  the 
facts  as  I  afterwards  discovered  them.  Mr.  Brent- 
bone  was  a  man  of  considerable  means,  who  had 
just  married  a  second  wife.  The  house  in  Need- 
ham  Street  pleased  him,  and,  too  late,  he  found 
that  it  pleased  his  wife  even  more.  He  was 
acquainted  with  Mr.  Oliphant  and  with  my  uncle. 
When  he  ascertained  who  had  taken  the  house, 
he  went  to  see  Mrs.  Oliphant,  but  this  was  about 
the  time  I  moved  in,  and  "  dear  ma "  was  too 
indignant  to  mention  the  subject  to  me,  though  I 
remembered  that  she  had  suggested  the  idea  of 
selling  out  the  furniture  and  giving  up  the  lease. 

As  we  had  moved  in,  Brentbone  gave  up  his 
purpose,  and  tried  to  find  a  house  elsewhere. 
Failing  to  suit  himself,  he  agaiu  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  the  house  in  Needham  Street,  and  spoke 
to  my  uncle  about  it.  Captain  Halliard  was 
probably  startled  to  find  I  was  living  in  a  house 
which  would  satisfy  a*  person  of  Brentbone's 
means.  The  matter  was  left  in  my  uncle's  hands 
for  negotiation.  He  assured  the  would-be  purchaser 
that  there  would  be  no  difficulty  in  completing 
the    arrangement.     All    this    Brentbone    told    me 


MY  UNCLE  IS  SA  VA  GE.  225 

himself  in  self-defence,  a   few    weeks  later,  when 
I  made  his  acquaintance. 

As  my  uncle  had  in  a  measure  pledged  himself 
to  complete  the  arrangement,  he  felt  a  pride  in 
doing  so.  He  honestly  and  sincerely  believed  that 
I  was  living  beyond  my  means,  and  here  was  an 
opportunity  for  me  to  change  my  style,  and  make 
something  by  it  at  the  same  time.  He  might  have 
succeeded  better  if  he  had  not  begun  by  attempt- 
ing to  drive  me  into  compliance. 

44 1  have  no  idea  of  boarding  with  my  mother- 
in-law  again,  and  paying  her  thirty  dollars  a  week 
for  accommodations  I  can  procure  for  ten,"  I 
replied,  to  my  uncle's  proposition. 

44  Then  board  somewhere  else.  I  don't  care 
where  you  board ;  but  it  will  cost  you  three  thou- 
sand dollars  a  year  to  live  in  that  house." 

44 1  think   not." 

44 1  know  it  will,"  responded  my  uncle,  sharply. 

44  Time  will  tell." 

44  Leave  a  fool  to  his  folly,"  snarled  the  captain, 
out  of  patience  with  me. 

44 1  will  leave  you  to  yours,"  I  replied. 

44  Will  you  pay  the  note?  " 

44  When?" 

44  Now." 
15 


226  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"No,  sir;  I  will  not." 

"  When  will  you  pay  it  ?  " 

"  To-morrow,"  I  replied,  willing  to  gain  even 
a  day's'  delay. 

"Very  well;  if  it  isn't  paid  to-morrow,  I'll 
trustee  your  salary,  and  keep  doing  it  till  the  note 
is  paid!  "  exclaimed  he,  darting  out  the  ante-room 
where  we  had  gone  to  talk  over  the  matter. 

I  felt  very  much  like  sinking  through  the  floor. 
Not  only  was  I  cut  off  from  obtaining  the  two 
thousand  dollars  from  Aunt  Rachel,  but  I  was 
called  upon  to  pay  the  thousand  I  already  owed 
her.  The  means  of  making  my  account  good  with 
the  bank  were  gone,  for  Aunt  Rachel  was  too 
sick  even  to  speak  to  me.  What  could  I 
do? 

I  went  into  the  banking-room,  and  balanced  my 
cash — two  thousand  short !  No  one  knew  it  but 
myself.  Mr.  Bristlebach  was  a  careful  man.  He 
made  frequent  forays  into  all  the  departments  of 
the  institution,  and  the  fact  could  not  long  be 
concealed  from  him.  It  was  about  time  for  the 
directors  to  make  an  examination  of  the  funds. 
I  should  be  ruined  in  a  few  days,  or  weeks,  at 
most.  I  could  only  study  how  to  defer  rather 
than    avoid  the  catastrophe.     I  put  my   cash   into 


MT  UNCLE  IS  SAVAGE.  227 

the  safe,  and  left  the  building.  My  face  was  like 
a  sheet  as  I  saw  it  in  the  glass  before  I  left  the 
bank. "  My  heart  was  in  my  throat.  I  could  not 
see  any  thing  or  any  body  as  I  walked  along 
State  Street. 

"  Glasswood,  how  are  you  ?  " 

I  turned  to  the  speaker.  It  was  Cormorin,  pay- 
ing-teller of  the  Forty-third.  I  was  well  acquainted 
with  him,  and  he  lived  near  my  house.  He  had 
been  present  at  our  party,  and  had  drank  more 
champagne    than  any   other   five   persons   present. 

"How  are  you,  Cormorin?"  I  replied. 

"In  a  hurry,  Glasswood  ?  " 

"No,  not  specially." 

"  Come  into  Young's  with  me  and  drink  a  bottle 
of  wine." 

That  was  just  what  I  wanted  in  my  misery — 
something  to  enliven  my  spirits.  I  went,  and  found 
that  Cormorin  had  a  mission  with  me. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

CORMORIN   AND   I. 

CORMORIN  was  not  a  man  for  whom  I  had  ever 
entertained  any  great  respect,  and  I  wondered 
how  he  contrived  to  retain  his  position  in  the 
bank,  for  he  was  rather  dissolute  and  dissipated 
in  his  habits.  We  went  to  a  private  room  in  the 
hotel,  and  he  sent  for  champagne.  He  talked 
about  indifferent  matters  for  a  time,  but  I  was 
soon  satisfied  that  he  had  something  more  than 
these  to  bring  forward.     I  was  not  mistaken. 

We  finished  the  first  bottle  of  champagne  before 
the  plan  of  my  companion  began  to  be  developed. 
He  ordered  another  ;  but  I  ought  to  add,  in  jus- 
tice to  myself,  that  he  drank  three  glasses  to  my 
one.  His  frequent  potations,  however,  seemed  to 
have  but  little  effect  upon  him,  for  he  was  ac- 
customed to  drink  stronger  fluids  than  champagne. 

"  Glass  wood,  what  salary  do  you  get  now?" 
asked  Cormorin,  after  we  had  begun  upon  the 
second  bottle. 

"  Two  thousand,"  I  replied. 

228 


CORMORIN  AND  I.  229 

/ 

"  The  same  as  mine.  But  can  you  live  upon 
it?" 

"  I  think  I  can,  though  I  have  not  had  much 
experience  since  I  was  married." 

"  I  can't  live  on  mine." 

"  You  drink  expensive  wines." 

"  '  Pon  my  soul,  I  don't !  "  he  protested.  "  I 
haven't  tasted  champagne,  except  at  your  house- 
warming,  for  a  year,  until  this  afternoon.  I  can't 
afford  to  drink  champagne  more  than  once  a  year  ; 
and  I  have  to  stimulate  on  cheap  whiskey.  Well, 
even  on  this  camphene,  I  can't  make  the  ends 
meet.  I'm  as  economical  as  a  London  Jew.  I 
don't  spend  a  cent  on  luxuries.  I  don't  go  to  the 
opera  above  a  dozen  times  a  year.  I  don't  own 
a  horse.  I  don't  average  hiring  one  more  than 
once  a  week.  I  have  been  in  the  same  fix  these 
two  years." 

"  What  do  you  mean  —  that  you  run  in  debt  ?  " 
I  inquired,  willing  to  help  him  reach  the  point  at 
which  he  was  evidently  aiming. 

"  Just  that ;  and  nothing  less,  nothing  more. 
I've  tried  every  way  in  the  world  to  eke  out  my 
income ;  and,  just  now,  I'm  in  a  fair  way  to  put 
about  ten  thousand  dollars  into  my  pocket." 

"  I  congratulate  you." 


230  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  If  I  had  sold  my  stock  to-day,  I  should  have 
put  five  thousand  into  my  exchequer." 

"Why  didn't  you  do  it,  then?" 

"  Because  I  would  rather  have  ten  thousand 
dollars  than  five,"  he  replied,  gulping  down  a 
full  glass  of  the  generous  fluid  before  us. 

"  When  a  man  can  make  a  good  thing  by  sell- 
ing, I  believe  in  realizing." 

"Isn't  it  better  to  wait  when  a  man  is  sure  of 
making  twice  as  much  a  week  hence  ?  " 

"  Are  you  sure  ?  " 

"  I  wish  I  was  as  sure  of  living  a  week  as  I 
am  of  making  this  money,  if  I  can  hold  on  for  a 
week." 

"If  I  were  reasonably  certain,  I  should  hold  on; 
by  all  means." 

"  O,  I'm  dead  sure !  I  wouldn't  give  the  pres- 
ident of  our  bank  sixpence  to  insure  me." 

"  Of  course  you  will   hold   on,  then,"   I   added. 

"  That's  the  trouble,"  said  he,  slapping  his  fist 
upon  the  table,  and  then  swallowing  another 
potion. 

"  What's  the  trouble  ?  "  I  inquired,  kindly  ask- 
ing the  questions  he  suggested. 

"  Why,  the  holding  on." 

"  But  if  you  are  sure  of  the  result,  you  cannot 
be  in  doubt  in  regard  to  your  course." 


CORMORIN  AND  I. 


231 


"  Well,  I'm  in  no  doubt  about  that." 

"  What  are  you  in  doubt  about?  " 

He  looked  at  me  steadily,  and  appeared  to  be 
uncertain  whether  to  say  anything  more  or  not. 
He  was  struggling  to  reach  some  point,  though  I 
could  not  imagine  what  it  was.  I  began  to  sus- 
pect that  he  wanted  to  borrow  some  money  of 
me.  If  he  did,  he  had  come  to  the  wrong  man. 
He  labored  heavily,  like  a  ship  in  a  storm,  and  I 
was  beginning  to  be  rather  impatient  at  the  slow- 
ness with  which  he  proceeded. 


Cormorin  and  I. 

"  Glasswood,  give  me  your  hand,"  said  he,  after 
a  long  pause,  as  he  extended  his  own  to  me  across 
the  table. 

I  took  his  hand,  for  I   could   not  refuse  to   do 


232  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

as  much  as  that  for  a  man  who  was  paying  for 
the  champagne. 

"We  are  friends  —  are  we  not?"  he  continued. 

"  Certainly  we  are." 

"  Do  you  mean  so?" 

"  Of  course  I  do.  I  don't  say  one  thing  and 
mean  another.  If  you  want  to  say  any  thing, 
Cormorin,  say  it." 

"As  a  friend,  I  will,"  said  he,  with  compressed 
lips,  as  though  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  do  a 
desperate  deed.     "  This  is  between  us,  you  know  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  I  replied. 

The  champagne  I  had  drank  had  somewhat 
muddled  my  brain  ;  and  I  was  in  that  reckless 
frame  of  mind  which  is  so  often  induced  by  stim- 
ulating draughts.  If  I  had  drank  nothing,  I  should 
have  been  cautious  how  I  permitted  myself  to  be 
dragged  into  the  counsels  of  such  a  man  as  Corm- 
orin.  As  it  was,  I  was  becoming  rapidly  pre- 
pared for  any  desperate  step.  I  was  very  curious 
to  know  what  my  companion  was  driving  at. 

"  I'm  in  a  tight  place,  then  !  "  said  he,  filling 
the  glass  again. 

"  A  tight  place  !  Why,  I  thought  you  were 
on  the  high  road  to  wealth !  "  I  replied,  rather  to 
help  him  forward  in  his  statement,  than  because  I 


C OR M OR IN  AND  I.  233 

experienced  any  astonishment  at  his  apparent  con- 
tradictions. 

"Exactly  so!  Both  propositions  are  equally 
true,  and  equally  susceptible  of  demonstration. 
You  are  dull,  Glasswood.  You  don't  drink  enough 
to  sharpen  your  wits.  Don't  you  see  that  while 
I  am  waiting  for  a  further  rise  in  my  stocks  I  am 
kept  out  of  my  capital?  " 

"  Precisely  so  ;  that  is  not  a  difficult  problem  to 
comprehend,"  I  replied. 

"  Well,  you  don't  seem  to  get  along  as  fast  as 
I  do." 

"I  understand  you  now.     Go  on." 

"  That's  all." 

"  Let's  go  home,  then,"  I  added,  rising  from 
the  table. 

"  Not  yet.  Hold  on !  Don't  you  understand 
my  position?  " 

"Very  clearly;  you  are  short.  So  am  I.  If  I 
could  help  you,  I  would  do  so  with  the  greatest 
pleasure." 

"  You  can  help  me.  We  are  both  honest  fel- 
lows, and  don't  mean  to  wrong  or  injure  any 
one." 

"  That's  myself  for  one,"  I  replied,  warmly. 

He    seemed   to    be    using    the    very   arguments 


234  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

which.  I  had  applied  to  my  own  case  while  bor- 
rowing the  funds  of  the  bank  that  employed  me. 
What  did  he  mean  by  it  ?  Could  it  be  possible 
that  he  even  suspected  me  of  taking  the  money 
of  the  bank?  Had  he  by  any  means  obtained  a 
hint  of  my  financial  operations  ?  He  was  in 
another  establishment.  He  could  not  suspect  what 
none  in  our  bank  suspected.  I  was  excited  with 
champagne,  and  I  dismissed  the  fear  as  prepos- 
terous. 

"  That's  myself  for  another ! "  exclaimed  he, 
with  more  emphasis  than  the  subject  matter  seemed 
to  require.  "  My  coppers  have  doubled  on  my 
hands." 

4 '  What  are  your  coppers?"  I  inquired. 

"The  Ballyhack,"  he  answered  promptly.  "Do 
you  think  I  haven't  any  ?  " 

He  pulled  from  his  breast-pocket  a  bundle  of 
papers,  and  exhibited  certificates  of  shares  for  a 
very  large  amount  of  stock.  Just  at  this  time 
there  was  a  fever  of  speculation  in  these  copper 
stocks.  While  some  were  substantial  companies, 
many  were  mere  fancies,  run  up  to  high  figures 
by  unscrupulous  and  dishonest  men.  In  the  par- 
ticular one  he  mentioned,  the  upward  progress  of 
the  stock   had  been  tremendous.     Men   had   made 


CORMORIN  AND  I.  235 

five  or  ten  thousand  dollars  in  them  as  easily  as 
they  could  turn  their  hands.  It  was  patent  to 
me  that  the  Ballyhack  had  doubled  in  a  week, 
and  was  gaining  rapidly  every  day. 

Cormorin  had  "  gone  in  for  a  big  thing,"  for  he 
exhibited  two  hundred  shares,  for  which  he  had 
paid  twenty-five,  and  which  was  now  quoted  at 
fifty.  Shrewd  men  were  buying  it  at  this  rate, 
confident  that  the  stock  would  touch  a  hundred 
in  a  week  or  two.  Cormorin' s  statements,  there- 
fore, were  reasonable,  and  I  began  to  be  deeply 
interested  in  the  operation.  If  this  reckless  and 
semi-dissipated  fellow  could  make  live  or  ten 
thousand  dollars  in  a  fortnight,  why  might  not  I 
do  the  same.  It  flashed  upon  my  mind  that  I 
could  redeem  myself  from  my  own  financial  diffi- 
culties by  this  exciting  process — if  I  only  had  the 
capital  to  make  the  investment.  My  companion  had 
gone  deeply  into  the  business,  and  could  advise  me 
in  regard  to  some  safe  and  profitable  speculation 
in  coppers.  It  would  be  even  less  troublesome 
than  borrowing  money  of  Aunt  Rachel. 

"  You  see  it  now,"  continued  Cormorin,  folding 
up  his  papers,  and  restoring  them   to  his   pocket. 

"I  do ;  that's  a  good  operation." 

"  That's  so !     What's  the   use  for  a  man  to  be 


236  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

contented  with  a  paltry  salary  of  two  thousand 
a  year,  when  he  can  make  five  times  that  sum  in 
a  week  or  two  ?  That's  the  question,"  said  he, 
vehemently. 

"It  is  all  very  well  for  a  fellow  that  has  the 
capital  to  go  into  these  operations,"  I  added. 

"The  capital!  Yes;  that's  so!  There's  the 
rub.     But  you  see  I  didn't  have  any  capital." 

He  paused  to  fill  the  glasses  again,  though 
mine  was  not  empty.  He  was  laboring  with  the 
next  step  in  his  revelation,  and,  reckless  as  he 
was,  he  appeared  to  halt  on  the  verge  of  further 
developments.  I  could  not  see  how  he  purchased 
his  stock,  if  he  had  no  capital;  and  I  was  rather 
anxious  to  have  the  problem  solved. 

"Nary  red,"  he  added,  as  I  did  not  ask  the 
question  which  would  suggest  the  revelation  he 
evidently  wished  to  make.  "  Not  a  cent — up  to 
my  eyes  in  debt  beside — one,  two  or  three  thou- 
sand dollars.  O,  well !  When  a  man  understands 
himself,  these  things  are  easy  enough.  By  the 
way,  Glasswood,  don't  you  want  to  try  your  hand 
in  this  business?  I  know  of  a  new  company, 
which  is  going  to  be  the  cock  of  the  walk  on 
State  Street.  You  can  buy  it  for  twenty  to-day. 
It  will  be   twenty-five  to-morrow,  for   it  is  going 


CORMORIN  AND  I.  237 

like  hot  cakes.  Everybody  is  after  it.  I'  have 
been  tempted  to  sell  rny  Ballyhack  and  invest  in 
it." 

44  What's  the  company  ?  " 

44  The  Bustumup — Indian  name,  you  know.  It's 
going  up  like  a  rocket,  now." 

44  Perhaps  it  will  come  down  like  one." 

44  No  fear  of  that.  If  I  had  ten  thousand  dol- 
lars to-day,  I  would  put  every  cent  of  it  into 
Bustumups.  If  you  want  two,  three  or  five  hun- 
dred shares  of  it,  I  will  get  them  for  you  at  the 
lowest  figure.  Your  name,  you  know,  would  help 
the  thing  along." 

My  name  !  Of  course  I  was  flattered.  If  I 
could  have  raised  four  or  five  thousand  dollars,  I 
should  have  been  glad  to  give  the  company  the 
benefit  of  my  name  ! 

44 1  should  like  to  go  in,  but  I  have  no  capital," 
I  replied,  with  the  modesty  of  a  man  without 
means. 

44  Do  as  I  did!"  exclaimed  Cormorin,  in  whom 
the  champagne  had  now  banished  every  thing  like 
caution. 

44  How  did  you  do  ?  " 

44 1  used  the  bank  funds  !  "  he  replied,  hitting 
the  table  a  tremendous   rap.     44  But  I  don't  mean 


238  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

that  -the  bank  shall  ever  lose  a  single  cent  by  me. 
I  mean  to  be  honest.  I  mean  to  pay  every  cent 
I  borrow.  I  don't  see  why  money  should  lie  idle 
in  my  drawer  in  the  bank,  when  I  can  make 
something  out  of  it,  without  wronging,  cheating 
or  defrauding  man,  woman  or  child.  Glasswood, 
give  me  your  hand.  I  have  spoken  frankly  to 
you.  If  you  betray  me,  of  course  I  shall  have  to 
take  the  next  steamer  for  foreign  parts,  and  I'm 
afraid  the  bank  would  then  be  the  loser  by  the 
operation." 

"  I  will  never  betray  you,"  I  replied,  clasping 
his  offered  hand. 

"  Thank  you,  Glasswood !  You  are  a  noble  fel- 
low. To-morrow  those  infernal  directors  will 
examine  into  the  condition  of  our  bank.  My  cash 
is  five  thousand  short — just  the  sum  I  paid  for 
the  Ballyhacks.     You  understand  me  ?  " 

I  had  drank  so  much  champagne  that  I  not 
only  understood,  but  sympathized  with  him.  He 
had  done  just  what  I  had,  though  I  was  not 
stupid  enough  to  betray  myself  to  him. 

"  I  understand  you,  Cormorin,"  I  replied.  "Go 
on  and  tell  me  what  you  are  driving  at  just  as 
though  I  were  your  own  brother." 

"Exactly  so;  just  as  though  you  were  my  own 


C  ORMORIN  AND  I.  23  9 

brother.  I  borrowed  five  thousand  dollars  from 
the  bank.  It  will  be  missed  to-morrow.  Lend 
me  five  one  thousand  dollar  bills,  or  the  same 
amount  in  some  other  form,  for  two  hours  to- 
morrow, and  I  shall  be  all  right.  You  shall  hold 
my  stock  as  collateral.  It  is  worth  double  the 
amount ;  and  I  will  do  the  same  thing  for  you 
when  your  cash  is  counted,  if  you  want  to  make 
something  on  your  own  account." 

"  I'll  do  it,"  I  replied,  without  a  moment  of 
reflection. 

"  You  are  a  good  fellow,  Glass  wood.  Your  for- 
tune is  made,  and  so  is  mine." 

I  should  not  have  been  so  prompt  in  acceding 
to  his  request  without  the  aid  of  the  champagne. 
Though  I  knew  what  I  was  about  well  enough, 
I  was  reckless.  I  was  fascinated  with  the  idea 
of  making  five  or  ten  thousand  dollars  in  "  cop- 
pers," and  thus  discharging  my  obligation  to  the 
bank. 

"  We  don't  always  know  when  our  directors 
intend  to  make  an  examination,"  I  suggested. 

"  I  can  always  tell  by  the  looks  of  them.  No 
matter ;  there  is  time  enough  after  they  begin. 
Our  banks  are  near  enough  to  each  other  to 
enable  us  to  make  a  connection,"  laughed  Corm- 
orin. 


240  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

We  discussed  the  matter  still  further,  but  we 
were  perfectly  agreed.  We  separated  with  an 
arrangement  to  meet  in  the  forenoon  of  the  next 
day,  to  carry  out  the  plan  we  had  devised.  I  did 
not  deem  it  prudent  to  go  directly  home,  and  I 
spent  an  hour  on  the  Common,  waiting  for  the 
fumes  of  the  wine  I  had  drank  to  work  off.  When 
I  went  to  Needham  Street,  I  found  that  Lilian 
was  still  out,  probably  purchasing  her  new  black 
silk  dress.  She  came  at  last,  and  we  ate  a  dried- 
up  dinner  at  Hive  o'clock.  She  had  purchased  her 
dress,  and  was  in  the  best  of  spirits. 

The  next  day,  when  I  went  to  the  bank,  I 
quietly  transferred  six  thousand  dollars  from  my 
drawer  to  my  pocket,  with  hardly  a  tithe  of  the 
compunction  with  which  I  had  appropriated  my 
first  loan.  O,  I  intended  to  be  honest !  The  bank 
was  not  to  lose  a  penny  by  me.  For  five  thou- 
sand of  the  money,  Cormorin  was  to  give  me  col- 
lateral worth  ten  thousand  in  the  market.  With 
the  other  thousand  I  intended  to  pay  my  uncle, 
and  silence  his  carping  for  all  time. 

Cormorin  was  punctual  in  his  call  for  his  share 
of  the  funds.  He  handed  me  the  certificates  and 
I  gave  him  the  money.  In  the  course  of  the  fore- 
noon Captain  Halliard,  faithful  to  his  threat,  paid 


CORMORIN  AND  I.  211 

me  a  visit.  I  was  not  ready  for  him  then,  but  I 
showed  him  one-half  of  Cormorin's  certificates. 
They  did  not  abate  his  persistency  for  payment  of 
the  note,  and  I  promised  to  pay  him  at  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  without  fail.  As  I  had 
the  money  in  my  pocket,  I  could  safely  make  the 
promise. 

At    the   appointed    time    he    presented    himself 
before  me. 


16 


GHAPTEB  XVII. 

PROVIDING  FOR   THE   WORST. 

6  6  f  |  ^HERE  is  your  money,  principal  and  inter- 
1  est,"  said  I  to  my  uncle,  carelessly  toss- 
ing him  the  bills.  "  You  have  compelled  me  to 
sacrifice  my    coppers,  but  I    am  rid  of  you    now." 

"  Rid  of  me  !  It  isn't  necessary  for  you  to  be 
impudent,  Paley,"  replied  the  Captain. 

"  I  assure  you,  it  is  a  very  great  satisfaction 
for  me  to  feel  that  there  is  now  no  possible  way 
in  which  you  can  annoy  me." 

"  I  don't  want  to  annoy  you." 

u  I  thought  you  did.  You  have  been  crowding 
irie  pretty  hard.  You  have  compelled  me  to  pay 
this  note,  for  no  other  purpose  than  to  annoy  me. 
You  have  done  your  worst,  and  1  hope  you  are 
satisfied." 

"  You  may  have  the  money  again,  if  you  want 
it,"  said  he ;  for,  like  other  bullies,  when  he  felt 
that  his  power  was  gone,  he  was  disposed  to 
make  peace. 

"  I    don't    want    it    now.     I    have    sold  out   my 

242 


PROVIDING  FOR  THE   WORST.  243 

stock  at  a  loss  to  gratify  your  malice.  If  you 
can  do  anything  more  to  crush  me,  I  hope  you 
will  do  it." 

"I  don't  want  to  crush  you.  What  are  you 
talking  about  ?  "  added  my  uncle,  impatiently. 

" 1  don't  know  what  you  mean  by  crowding 
me  so  hard,    then." 

"  Paley,  you  are  living  too  fast.  All  I  have 
done  has  been  for  your  good." 

"I  don't  see  it;  and  I  don't  exactly  know  by 
what  right  you  purpose  to  take  the  management 
of  my  affairs  into  your  own  hands.  You  have  an 
offer  for  my  house,  and  you  have  attempted  to 
drive  me  out  of  it.  Let  me  say  that  I  would  go 
into  bankruptcy,  or  into  the  State  Prison,  before  I 
would  submit  to  any  such  dictation.  I  am  of  age 
and  I  think  I  am  able  to  take  care  of  myself.  I 
hear  that  Aunt  Rachel  is  better  to-day,  and  is 
steadily  improving.  I  shall  take  the  first  occa- 
sion to  tell  her  how  you  have  used  me." 

"  I}o  you  want  to  make  trouble  in  the  family  ?  " 
asked  he,  evidently  startled  by  my  threat;  for  the 
handling  of  the  invalid's  property  was  of  some 
importance  even  to  a  gentleman  of  Captain  Hal- 
liard's wealth. 

"  I  want  justice  done,  though  the    heavens  fall. 


244  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

Aunt  Rachel  never  intended  that  I  should  "be 
driven  up  to  pay  this  thousand  dollars,  as  you 
have  done  the  business." 

"  I  did  what  I  thought  was  best  for  you  and 
for  her." 

"All  right;  if  you  are  satisfied,  I  am." 

I  think  my  uncle  was  rather  sorry  he  had 
crowded  me  so  hard.  He  had  failed  to  accom- 
plish his  purpose  of  driving  me  out  of  my  house, 
and  he  knew  that  I  had  some  influence  with 
my  aunt.  He  was  disposed  to  back  out,  but  I 
was  not  willing  that  he  should  do  so.  I  did  not 
like  the  idea  of  having  him  around  me  in  the 
capacity  of  a  guardian,  prying  into  my  affairs,  and 
listening  to  every  breath  of  scandal  that  related 
to  me. 

The  sharp  words  I  had  spoken  produced  some 
effect  upon  him.  Bat  it  occurred  to  me  that 
his  malice  would  be  dangerous,  and  I  did  not 
deem  it  prudent  to  provoke  him  any  farther.  He 
was  intimate  with  Mr.  Bristlebach,  and  his  influ- 
ence  might  imperil  my  situation.  It  would  be 
utter  ruin  for  me  to  be  discharged  before  I  had 
replaced  the  sums  I  had  "  borrowed."  I  moder- 
ated my  wrath,  therefore,  and  refrained  from  en- 
forcing my  threat.  My  uncle  left  me,  and  I  was 
willing  to  wait  until  he  made  the  next  move. 


PROVIDING  FOR  THE   WORST.  245 

I  remained  at  the  bank  until  half-past  three 
o'clock,  at  which  time  I  had  agreed  to  meet  Cor- 
morin,  at  Young's.  He  was  nearly  half  an  hour 
late,  but  he  came,  and  I  saw  by  his  countenance 
that  every  thing  had  gone  well  with  him.  I  should 
say,  in  the  light  of  subsequent  experience,  that 
every  thing  had  gone  ill  with  him,  for  the  suc- 
cessful concealment  of  guilt,  whatever  consequen- 
ces might  follow  its  exposure,  is  the  greatest 
misfortune  that  can  befall  a  man,  inasmuch  as  it 
leads  him  farther  and  deeper  into  crime. 

"  Five  thousand ;  there  are  the  identical  bills 
you  lent  me,"  said  Cormorin,  as  he  laid  the 
money  upon  the  table  before  me.  "  I'm  all  right 
now,  and  I  hope  I  shall  not  have  occasion  to 
repeat  this  folly." 

"  You  will  make  enough  by  your  operation  in 
Ballyhacks  to  afford  you  a  sufficient  capital  for 
future  operations." 

"That's  so.  I  shall  be  worth  ten  or  fifteen 
thousand  dollars  next  week,  as  sure  as  I  live.  I 
am*  going  to  pay  what  I  owe  the  bank,  and  then 
keep  square  with  the  world.  You  have  done  me 
a  good  turn  to-day,  Glasswood,  and  I  am  not  one 
of  the  kind  that  forget  such  things." 

"  Here  are  your  certificates.     I  am  glad  to  have 


246  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

been  able  to  serve  you,"  I  replied,  as  I  handed 
him  the  papers.  "  You  said  something  about 
another  company  in  which  a  fellow  might  make  a 
good  thing." 

"I  did  —  the  Bus'tumup.  Its  stock's  going  up 
just  as  that  of  the  Bally  hack  did." 

"What  can  I  have  it  for?" 

"  I  am  interested  in  this  company,  and  if  you 
take  the  stock  at  once  you  shall  have  it  for 
twenty,  though  it  went  at  twenty-two  to-day." 

"I  will  take  two  hundred  and  fifty  shares  of 
it." 

"  You  are  sensible,"  replied  Cormorin.  "  You 
have  the  money  in  your  fist,  and  you  can  return 
it  in  a  week  or  two,  and  put  ten  thousand  dollars 
into  your  pocket." 

T  had  not  told  Cormorin  my  secret,  and  I  think 
he  was  anxious  to  have  me  invest  the  five  thou- 
sand dollars,  I  had  taken  from  the  bank,  that  we 
might  stand  on  an  equal  footing.  He  desired  to 
possess  as  strong  a  hold  upon  me  as  I  had  upon 
him.  I  was  satisfied  of  the  truth  of  what  he  had 
told  me  in  regard  to  his  own  "  coppers."  I  had 
inquired  for  myself,  and  I  realized  that  he  was 
making  ten  if  not  fifteen  thousand  dollars  by  his 
operation. 


PROVIDING  FOR  THE   WORST.  247 

I  felt  compelled  to  take  the  step  he  suggested. 
I  owed  my  bank  three  thousand  dollars,  and  while 
Aunt  Rachel  was  so  feeble,  I  had  no  hope  of 
obtaining  the  amount  from  her.  I  must  do  some- 
thing to  save  myself  from  possible  exposure.  The 
brilliant  example  of  Cormorin  loomed  up  before 
me.  If  he  had  made  a  large  sum  in  "  coppers," 
there  was  no  reason  why  I  should  not  do  the 
same.  It  was  necessary  that  I  should  make  the 
effort,  and-  I  gave  him  the  five  thousand  dollars 
he  had  just  returned  to  me,  to  be  invested  in 
Bustumups. 

"It  will  be  a  safe  operation,  Glass  wood,"  con- 
tinued Cormorin.  "  Bustumups  are  sure  to  go 
up." 

I  did  not  regard  this  last  expression  as  one  to 
be  taken  in  the  metaphorical  sense. 

"  You  have  looked  into  this  matter,  Cormorin, 
and  of  course  you  understand  it.  As  things  now 
stand,  you  and  I  must  hang  together." 

"  That's  so ;  count  on  me  for  anything  you 
want." 

"  Thank  you.  Now  won't  you  have  a  bottle  of 
champagne  with  me?" 

"I  am  much  obliged  to  you,  Glass  wood,  but  I 
can't  stop  any  longer  now.     I  must  get  your  stock 


248  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

for  you    before  four,  or  it  will  cost   you    twenty- 
five  to-morrow." 

"  You  are  confident  that  this  is  a  safe  thing  for 
me — are  you  not  ?  " 

"Oh,  perfectly  confident!"  exclaimed  he.     "If 
you  don't  believe  in  it,  don't  do  it." 

"  I  rely  upon  your   statements,  and  go  in  upon 
the  assurance  of  what  you  say." 

"  Of  course  you  must  run  your  own  risk.     I  can 
only  advise  you  to  do  what   I  would  do    myself." 

"That's  enough." 

He  left  me  to  procure  the  certificates  of  stock 
in  the  Bustumup  Company.  I  was  to  wait  in  the 
private  room  I  had  taken  until  his  return.  I  was 
alone,  and  when  I  began  to  think  what  I  was 
doing,  I  was  appalled  at  the  possibility  of  failure. 
I  was  in  debt  to  the  bank  in  the  sum  of  eight 
thousand  dollars.  If  my  investment  should  go 
wrong  I  could  not  hope  to  make  good  the  loss. 
I  should  be  obliged  to  flee  from  my  wife  and 
my  home,  and  end  my  days  in  exile,  if  I  should  be  so 
fortunate  as  to  escape  without  detection.  A  cold 
sweat  stood  on  my  forehead  as  I  thought  of  the 
possibility  of  discovery,  of  being  arrested  even 
before  I  supposed  any  one  suspected  me,  and  of 
being  condemned  to  the  State  Prison  for  ten 
years  or  more. 


PROVIDING  FOR  THE   WORST.  249 

I  rang  the  bell,  and  ordered  a  bottle  of  cham- 
pagne. I  drank  several  glasses  of  it,  and  the 
fumes  went  to  my  brain.  I  felt  better.  My 
thoughts  began  to  flow  in  another  direction  under 
the  influence  of  the  sparkling  fluid.  Bustumups 
would  advance  every  day.  In  a  week  or  two 
they  would  go  up  to  a  hundred  dollars  a  share. 
If  they  did  this,  I  should  make  twenty  thousand 
dollars,  besides  having  my  capital  returned  to  me. 
I  should  be  able  to  pay  off  the  bank,  and  have 
seventeen  thousand  dollars  left.  My  dream  of 
future  success  was  colored  with  the  pinkiest  tint 
of  the  wine  I  drank. 

I  intended  to  be  cautious.  If,  after  my  stock 
had  gone  up  to  fifty,  there  were  any  signs  of  a 
reaction,  I  would  sell,  and  still  make  ten  thousand 
dollars.  Cormorin  was  sure  the  stock  would  be 
twenty-five  the  next  day.  If  it  was,  I  should 
clear  twelve  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  But  if  it 
only  went  up  to  thirty-five  in  a  week,  it  would 
enable  me  to  pay  off  what  I  owed  the  bank,  and 
I  should  be  content  even  with  that. 

My  new  friend  brought  me  the  coveted  shares, 
and  helped  me  finish  the  bottle  of  champagne 
before  me.  For  some  reason  or  other  he  declined 
to  punish   a   second   one   with  me,   and   we  sepa- 


250  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

rated.  I  went  home  with  my  shares  in  my  pocket. 
When  the  fumes  of  the  champagne  passed  off,  I 
was  uneasy  again.  I  felt  that  I  stood  upon  the 
brink  of  a  precipice.  If  Bustumups  went  down 
instead  of  going  up,  I  was  ruined.  There  was  no 
possible  way  for  me  to  redeem  myself. 

Though  my  uncle  knew  I  was  dealing  in  stocks 
—  or  rather  took  my  word  for  it — aod  was 
plunging  into  a  sea  of  speculation,  he  did  not 
warn  me  against  it.  He  had  not  a  word  of  cau- 
tion to  utter,  and  probably  had  no  suspicion 
that  I  might  be  tempted  to  meddle  with  the 
funds  of  the  bank.  If  he  had  been  as  solicitous 
as  he  pretended  to  be  for  my  welfare,  he  would 
have  warned  me  of  the  perils  of  my  course.  For 
my  own  part,  my  uncle  was  a  mystery  to  me. 

Lilian  with  the  black  silk  in  prospect,  was  as 
happy  as  a  queen.  In  the  evening  Tom  Flynn 
called.  He  was  hardly  seated  before  Mrs.  Oli- 
phant  and  Bertha  made  us  a  call.  "  Dear  ma " 
appeared  to  be  cured  of  her  evil  propensity,  prob- 
ably because  another  daughter,  through  my  indi- 
rect agency,  was  in  a  fair  way  of  being  disposed 
of.  We  had  sacred  music,  and  a  lively  time  gen- 
erally. I  was  quite  satisfied  that  Tom  would,  at 
no  distant    day,  make    my  wife's   sister  his   bride. 


PROVIDING  FOR   THE   WORST.  251 

This  prospect  was  quite  enough  to  appease  Mrs. 
Oliphant,  and  she  really  looked  quite  amiable 
under  the    indications  of  this  happy  event. 

Tom  escorted  Bertha  and  her  mother  home  at  ten 

4 

o'clock,  and  the  next  day  the  noble  fellow  told  me 
with  a  blush,  that  he  did  not  leave  the  house  on 
Tremont  Street  till  the  clock  struck  twelve.  A 
question  or  two  from  me  brought  out  the  fact  that 
they  were  engaged.  I  envied  Tom  —  he  was  so 
happy.  Why  should  he  not  be  ?  He  owed  the 
bank  nothing.  He  had  not  soiled  his  soul  by 
taking  what  did  not  belong  to  him.  He  was  a 
strictly  moral  and  religious  young  man.  He  would 
have  gone  without  his  dinner  rather  than  stay 
away  from  the  evening  prayer-meeting.  I  say  I 
envied  him.  I  did;  and  I  would  have  given  all 
the  world,  had  it  been  mine  to  give,  for  his  peace 
of  mind. 

I  could  not  sleep  that  night  when  I  went  to 
bed.  I  got  up  and  drank  nearly  half  a  bottle  of 
Smith's  old  sherry,  which  stupefied  my  brain,  and 
gave  me  the  needed  rest  from  the  goadings  of 
conscience  and  the  terrors  of  the  future.  My  fate 
depended  upon  the  success  of  the  Bustumup  Com- 
pany. If  that  went  down,  I  might  be  called  at 
any  time  to  flee  from  my  wife,  and  wander  in  fear 


252  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

and  trembling  as  an  exile  in  some  strange  land. 
If  I  was  in  peril  of  exposure  I  could  not  remain 
to  face  the  blast  of  popular  condemnation.  My 
pride  would  not  permit  me  to  live  where  any 
man  could  look  down  upon  me  with  either  pity 
or  contempt. 

At  twelve  o'clock,  when  I  run  out  for  a  lunch, 
I  found  that  Bustumups  were  quoted  at  twenty- 
five.  This  fact  assured  me,  for  already  I  had 
practically  paid  off  more  than  one-third  of  my 
debt.  The  stock  went  a  little  higher  before  two 
o'clock,  and  my  courage  was  correspondingly 
increased.  I  was  rather  disturbed,  however,  at 
the  close  of  the  bank,  to  see  my  uncle  in  close 
conversation  with  Mr.  Bristlebach.  I  fancied  that 
I  was  the  subject  of  their  remarks,  especially  as 
the  president  cast  frequent  glances  at  me.  Cap- 
tain Halliard  looked  ugly. 

I  had  shown  him  a  portion  of  the  certificates 
which  Cormorin  had  lent  me.  He  was  a  shrewd 
business  man,  and  though  he  had  not  objected  to 
the  statement  that  I  had  saved  half  my  salary, 
and  invested  it  in  stocks,  he  might  well  have 
doubted  the  truth  of  it.  Perhaps  he  had  been 
thinking  over  my  affairs,  and  had  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  my  assertions  were    doubtful.     On 


PROVIDING  FOR  THE  WORST.  253 

two  occasions  lie  had  driven  me  up  to  the  pay- 
ment of  money,  and  both  times  I  had  met  the 
demand. 

Cormorin  told  me  that  he  always  ascertained 
when  the  directors  intended  to  make  an  examina- 
tion. Captain  Halliard  meant  mischief.  He 
intended,  at  least,  to  put  me  in  condition  to  let 
Aunt  Rachel  alone.  I  am  confident  he  did  not 
really  believe  that  I  had  borrowed  any  thing  of 
the  bank ;  but  probably  he  wanted  to  satisfy  him- 
self that  I  did  not  obtain  my  ready  money  from 
the  drawer.  As  the  conversation  continued  I 
became  alarmed.  The  President  almost  invariably 
left  the  bank  soon  after  two  o'clock.  To-clay  he 
remained.  As  he  had  done  once  before  since  I 
occupied  my  position,  he  might  examine  the  con- 
dition of  the  cash  department. 

I  meant  to  be  on  the  sure  side.  I  ran  into  the 
bank  where  Cormorin  was,  and  told  him  what  I 
suspected.  He  promptly  offered  to  help  me  out, 
on  the  same  terms  that  I  had  performed  a  similar 
service  for  him. 

"  I  want  eight  thousand,  I  whispered.  "  I  will 
return  it  to-morrow  morning." 

"Eight  thousand!"  exclaimed  he.  "Why,  you 
are  only  five  thousand  short. 


254  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  Eight,"  I  replied,  firmly. 

"  How's  that  ?  " 

"  I  was  three  thousand  short  when  I  made  the 
little  arrangement." 

"  Thunder  !  "  ejaculated  he,  impatiently.  "  Then 
you  are  the  eagle  and  I  am  the  lamb." 

"  We  are  both  honest  fellows,  and  mean  to  pay 
all  we  owe,"  I  replied.  "  Do  you  suppose  I  would 
have  accommodated  you,  the  other  day,  if  I  had 
not  been  in  hot  water  myself  ?  Of  course  if  I  go 
down,  you  go  with  me." 

"  But  the  security?"  he  asked. 

"  Two  hundred  and  fifty  shares  of  Bustumups." 

"  They  are  worth  only  six  thousand  or  so." 

"But  will  be  worth  more  than  eight  in  a  few 
days;  you  shall  have  your  bills  back  to-morrow 
morning,  without  fail." 

I  gave  him  my  certificates  and  he  handed  me  the 
money ;  but  he  gnashed  his  teeth  as  he  did  so. 
If  I  fell,  I  should  drag  him  down  with  me. 

"  Is  everything  right  in  your  drawer  ?  "  asked 
Heavyside,  the  cashier,  slyly,  of  me,  when  I 
returned. 

"  Certainly  it  is,"  I  replied.  "  Why  do  you 
ask  ?  " 

"  Bristlebach  is  going  to  look  over  our  accounts 
and  cash  this  afternoon." 


PROVIDING  FOR  THE   WORST.  255 

"  All  right,"  I  answered,  carelessly. 

I  deposited  tlie  eight  thousand  in  my  drawer, 
balanced  my  cash,  and  put  the  trunk  into  the 
safe.  Paying  no  attention  to  any  one,  and  espe- 
cially not  to  my  uncle,  1  sauntered  leisurely  out  of 
the  bank. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

BUSTUMTJPS   AT   FIFTY. 

BY  the  ruse  in  which  Cormorin  had  instructed 
me,  and  for  which  he  had  furnished  the 
funds,  I  had  provided  against  any  exposure.  By 
this  time  I  was  fully  satisfied  that  my  uncle  was 
working  against  me ;  not  that  he  intended  to  ruin 
me,  but  only  to  maintain  his  own  power  and  in- 
fluence over  me.  There  are  men  of  this  stamp  in 
the  world,  who  will  punish  their  best  friends 
when  they  refuse  to  be  guided  by  them.  Cap- 
tain Halliard  was  as  jealous  of  his  influence  as  he 
was  of  his  money. 

As  my  account  with  the  bank  was  now  square, 
I  had  no  fear  of  the  investigation  which  was  in 
progress.  Mr.  Heavyside,  who  had  never  been 
suspected  of  even  an  irregularity,  had  been  so 
kind  as  to  inform  me  of  the  proposed  examination. 
I  had  in  him  a  good  friend,  and  a  mortgage  on 
his  future  fidelity  to  me.  I  should  defeat  my 
uncle  this  time,  as  I  had  before,  but  it  was 
annoying  to  be  subjected  to  his  espionage,  though 

256 


B  US  TUMUPS  A  T  FIFT  T.  257 

I  could  not  afford  to  have  a  serious  quarrel  with 
him. 

I  went  home  at  about  the  usual  hour.  My 
Bustumups  had  done  so  well  that  I  was  tolerably 
light-hearted.  Lilian  was  as  joyous  as  a  dream 
in  June.  Bertha  had  been  with  her  all  the  fore- 
noon, and  I  heard  much  in  praise  of  Tom  Flynn. 
We  dined,  and  then  I  proposed  to  Lilian  that  we 
should  ride  out  into  the  country.  She  was  glad 
to  go,  and  we  went.  On  my  return  home  at  six 
o'clock,  Biddy  handed  me  a  note  from  Mr.  Bristle- 
bach.  I  recognized  his  heavy  hand-writing,  and 
my  blood  ceased  to  flow  in  its  channels.  I  tore 
open  the  envolope.  It  was  simply  a  request  to 
appear  at  the  bank  immediately. 

What  could  it  mean  ?  My  cash  was  all  right. 
They  could  not  have  discovered  the  truth.  That 
was  simply  impossible.  If  there  was  any  trouble 
at  the  present  time,  Cormorin,  and  not  myself, 
would  be  the  sufferer.  If  there  had  been  a  dis- 
covery of  the  whole  truth,  Mr.  Bristlebach  was 
not  the  man  to  have  sent  a  note  to  me ;  he  would 
have  sent  a  constable.  I  decided  to  go  at  once 
to  the  bank,  for  I  was  satisfied,  from  the  manner 
in  which  the  message  had  come,  and  by  the  assur- 
ance that  my  cash  was  all  right,  that  nothing 
IT 


258  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

very  serious  could  be  charged  upon  me.  I  told 
Lilian  I  was  going  down  town  for  an  hour,  and 
she  did  not  bother  me  with  any  troublesome  ques- 
tions. 

On  my  arrival  at  the  bank  I  found  the  presi- 
dent and  my  uncle  in  the  directors'  room.  Both 
of  them  looked  severe,  but  Captain  Halliard  did 
not  seem  to  be  so  much  at  his  ease  as  usual.  I 
knew  him  well  enough  to  be  able  to  read  his 
thoughts,  and  whatever  mischief  was  brewing  he 
was  at  the  bottom  of  it. 

"  Mr.  Glass  wood,  of  course  you  are  aware  that 
there  is  a  deficiency  in  your  account?  "  said  Mr. 
Bristlebach. 

"No,  sir,  I  am  not  aware  of  it,"  I  replied; 
and  as  I  spoke  the  literal  truth,  I  answered  with 
confidence. 

"You  are  not?" 

"No,  sir." 

"  Did  you  balance  your  cash  to-day  ?  " 

"I  did,  sir;  and  at  half-past  two  it  was  all 
right." 

"  You  put  a  bold  face  on  the  matter." 

"  Certainly  I  do,  sir.  I  am  innocent  of  the 
charge,  and  I  can  afford  to  speak  the  truth." 

"  Nevertheless,  your  cash  is  short." 


BUSTUMUPS  AT  FIFTT.  259 

"  It  was  not  short  at  half-past  two  to-day,"  I 
replied,  glancing  at  nry  uncle. 

He  was  uneasy,  and  did  not  confront  me  when 
I  gazed  at  him. 

"  It  is  not  a  large  deficiency,"  added  Mr.  Bris- 
tlebach,  "but  large  enough  to  demand  inquiry." 

"  May  I  ask  how  much  you  found  it  short,"  I 
inquired. 

"  Only  three  hundred  dollars." 

There  may  be  some  mistake — I  hope  there  is," 
suggested  my  uncle. 

"Who  counted  the  cash  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  We  counted  it  together,"  replied  the  presi- 
dent. "I  wish  to  add  that  I  do  not  regard  you 
as  a  defaulter  or  any  thing  of  that  sort.  I  sent 
for  you  to  enable  you  to  explain  the  matter." 

"  I  have  no  further  explanation  to  make.  I 
left  my  cash  all  right  to-day,"  I  added,  confi- 
dently. 

"  He  is  so  sure,  that  I  rather  think  some  mis- 
take has  been  made,"  added  Captain  Halliard. 

"  Probably  there  has  been.  Mr.  Glasswood,  I 
have  had  the  utmost  confidence  in  you.  When  I 
suspected  you  before,  a  second  examination  con- 
vinced me  of  your  integrity.  I  have  no  doubt  it 
will  be  so  this  time." 


260  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  I  cannot  undertake  to  keep  my  cash  right,  if 
other  persons  are  allowed  to  go  to  my  drawer," 
I  continued,  rather  savagely. 

"What!"  exclaimed  my  uncle,  springing  to  his 
feet. 

"  I  said  what  I  meant  to  say,"  I  replied. 

The  remark  hit  just  where  I  intended  it  should. 
Mr.  Bristlebach  and  my  uncle  had  been  counting 
my  cash.  I  had  left  it  all  right.  If  the  deficiency 
was  insignificant,  it  was  still  enough  to  ruin  me. 
I  had  already  made  up  my  mind  how  my  cash 
happened  to  be  short.  If  the  president  had  made 
the  examination  himself  there  would  have  been 
no  deficiency.  Of  course  I  mean  to  say  that  Cap- 
tain Halliard  himself  had  been  the  author  of  the 
mischief.  In  other  words,  he  had  either  taken 
three  hundred  dollars  from  my  cash,  or  had  falsely 
reported  his  count. 

Before  I  ventured  to  make  this  violent  state- 
ment, I  put  my  uncle  fairly  on  trial,  and  called 
up  all  the  circumstances  of  our  present  relations 
to  testify  against  him.  He  was  determined  to 
maintain  his  influence  over  me,  and  to  prevent 
me  from  saying  any  thing  to  Aunt  Rachel  about 
him.  I  had  refused  to  give  up  my  house  at  his 
bidding,    and    prevented    him    from    obliging    his 


BUSTUMUPS  AT  FIFTY.  261 

friend,  Mr.  Brentbone.  I  had  roundly  reproached 
him  for  his  conduct  to  me,  and  used  language 
which  he  could  not  tolerate  in  any  one.  I  was 
satisfied  that  he  had  a  strong  motive  for  desiring 
to  obtain  a  hold  upon  me. 

A  strong  motive,  however,  is  not  sufficient  to 
explain  so  dastardly  an  act  as  that  in  which  I  had 
dared  to  implicate  my  uncle.  A  man  of  integrity, 
simply  an  honest  man,  would  not  be  guilty  of  so 
vile  a  deed.  Was  my  uncle  capable  of  such  an 
act?  He  had  procured  my  situation  for  me  by 
bringing  up  a  charge  against  Tom  Flynn  which 
both  he  and  I  knew  was  false  —  one  which  he 
himself  had  disproved  as  soon  as  his  purpose  was 
accomplished.  If  he  would  do  one  mean  thing, 
he  would   not  halt  at  another. 

He  had  compelled  me  to  pay  the  thousand  dol- 
lars I  owed  Aunt  Rachel,  out  of  sheer  malice,  and 
only  to  put  me  in  a  position  where  he  could  con- 
trol me.  The  mild  speech  of  the  president  of  the 
bank  assured  me  that  I  was  not  to  be  harshly 
dealt  with;  and  my  uncle  gently  suggested  that 
there  might  be  a  mistake. 

"Be  careful  what  you  sa}^,  Mr.  Glass  wood," 
said  the  president.  "  Now  I'm  going  out  to  get 
a  cup  of  tea  ;  when  I  come  back  we  will  ascer- 
tain whether  there  is  a  mistake  or  not. 


262  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

Mr.  Bristlebach  left  the  room.  My  uncle  looked 
embarrassed,  thrust  .,  his  fingers  into  his  vest 
pockets,  and  seemed  to  be  feeling  for  something. 
I  was  tempted  to  spring  upon  him,  and  throw 
out  the  contents  of  those  pockets,  for  I  was  satis- 
fied that  the  deficiency  in  my  cash  could  be 
accounted  for  only  in  that  way. 

"  Paley,  you  have  been  speculating  in  coppers," 
said  he. 

"  I  have  ;  but  that  is  my  business,"  I  replied, 
roughly. 

"I  propose  to  pay  the  bank  the  amount  your 
cash  is  short,  and  to  hush  the  matter  up  where 
it   is." 

"I  don't  ask  you  to  do  any  thing  of  the  sort." 

"  I  am  on  your  bond,  and  I  must  do  it.  No 
matter  about  that.  I(  expected,  after  you  told  me 
what  you  were  doing  in  coppers,  to  find  a  deficit 
of  thousands.  I  was  prepared  to  pay  even  that, 
for  you  are  of  my  own  flesh  and  blood." 

"  You  are  very  affectionate!" 

"  I  have  succeeded  in  quieting  Mr.  Bristle- 
bach." 

"  I  see  you  have." 

"  You  talk  to  me  as  though  I  had  done  you  an 
injury  instead  of  a  kindness,"  added  he,  reproach- 
fully" 


BUSTUMUPS  AT  FIFTT.  263 

"  That  is  what  you  have  clone." 

"  Your    cash  is    three  hundred   short,"  said   he, 
putting  his  hands  into  his  vest  pockets  again. 

Perhaps  I  was  insane  under  the  pressure  of  his 
implied  charge  ;  at  any  rate,  under  the  impulse  of 
the  moment,  without  consciously  determining  to 
do  it,  I  sprung  upon  him  like  a  tiger ;  and  hav- 
ing no  warning  of  my  purpose  myself,  I  gave  him 
none.  I  thrust  my  hands  into  his  vest  pockets, 
and  drew  from  them  whatever  they  contained.  I 
retreated  into  the  farther  corner  of  the  room  to 
examine  my  capture.  The  deed  was  done  so  quick 
that  Captain  Halliard  had  no  time  to  resist,  though 
he  seized  me  by  the  shoulders.  I  was  furious, 
and  shook  him  off  like  a  child. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  you  villain  ?  "  gasped  he. 

I  paid  no  attention  to  him,  but  proceeded  to 
examine  my  prize.  Among  other  things  I  found 
three  bills,  of  one  hundred  dollars  each. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  rob  me,  Paley  ?  "  demanded 
he ;  but,  like  Hamlet's  ghost,  he  appeared  to  be 
"more  in  sorrow  than  in  anger;"  and  more  in 
fear  than  in  sorrow. 

"  Do  you  carry  your  money  in  your  vest  pockets, 
sir?"  I  demanded. 

"  Sometimes  I  do." 


264  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  You  took  these  bills  from  my  trunk  when  you 
counted  my  cash." 

"Nonsense,  Paley!" 

"I  can  swear  to  one  of  them,  at  least,"  I  re- 
plied, holding  up  one  of  the  bills,  on  the  face  of 
which  some  clown  had  written  a  -sentence  about 
depreciated  currency,  that  had  attracted  my  atten- 
tion. "  I  left  this  bill  in  my  trunk  in  the  vault 
at  half-past  two  to-day ;  at  half-past  six  I  find  it 
in  your  pocket." 

"  Do.  you  think—" 

"  I  know ! "  I  interrupted,  him,  in  the  most 
savage  manner.  "If  I  can  find  a  policeman,  I 
will  put  you  on  the  track  to  the  State  Prison." 

"  Don't  be  absurd,  Paley,"  interposed  my  uncle  ; 
but  I  saw  that  there  was  no  heart  in  the  remark. 
"  There  must  have  been  a  mistake  in  the  count- 
ing." 

"  You  stole  this  money  from  my  trunk  to  get 
me  into  trouble." 

"  Didn't  *I  tell  the  president  that  I  would  pay 
the  deficit  ?  "  asked  my  uncle.  "  Hush  up !  There 
comes  Mr.  Bristlebach!  Not  a  word  of  this  to 
him." 

"  You  confess,  then,  that  you  took  this  money 
from  my  trunk  ?  " 


BUSTUMUPS  AT  FIFTT.  265 

"  By-and-by  we  will  talk  about  it,"  he  replied, 
with  much  agitation. 

I  had  proved  my  case.  .  My  uncle  was  a  villain. 
He  had  taken  three  hundred  dollars  from  my 
cash — not  enough  to  make  me  look  like  a  de- 
faulter—  for  the  purpose  of  maintaining  his  influ- 
ence over  me,  and  to  keep  me  from  telling  bad 
stories  about  him  to  Aunt  Rachel.  Guilty  as  I 
was,  I  made  myself  believe  that  I  was  an  inno- 
cent man,  because  I  was  not  guilty  in  the  direc- 
tion he  accused  me.  Mr.  Bristlebach  returned  to 
the  room. 

"  I  am  satisfied,  from  what  Mr.  Glasswood  says, 
that  there  must  have  been  a  mistake  in  our 
count,"  said  my  uncle.  "  As  I  told  you,  I  was 
confident  my  nephew  was  honest,  but  I  was  fear- 
ful, when  I  learned  that  he  had  been  speculating 
in  coppers.  I  thought,  as  I  was  on  his  bond,  we 
had  better  look  into  the  matter.  I  am  perfectly 
satisfied  now." 

This  very  consistent  statement  was  assented  to 
by  the  president,  but  my  cash  was  counted  again, 
at  the  request  of  Captain  Halliard.  I  was  in 
doubt  whether  to  restore  the  three  hundred  I  had 
wrested  from  the  conspirator,  but  I  concluded 
that  I  could  not  afford  to  expose  him.     We  counted 


266  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

the  cash,  which  was  mostly  in  large  bills,  and  of 
course  I  was  fully  vindicated.  The  president  was 
profuse  in  his  apologies,  and  my  uncle  was  kind 
enough  to  take  the  burden  of  the  blunder  on 
himself.  He  could  even  see  where  he  had  made 
the  mistake.  I  left  the  bank  with  him,  and  we 
walked  up  the  street  together. 

"  That  was  an  awkward  mistake  of  mine,"  said 
he. 

"Very,"  I  replied,  with  a  sneer. 

"But  I  think  I  can  explain  it." 

"  I  don't  think  you  can." 

"  You  seem  to  have  taken  it  into  your  head 
that  I  mean  to  injure  you." 

'•I  have." 

"  You  are  mistaken.  I  am  on  your  bond. 
Money  is  so  plenty  with  you,  that  I  was  afraid  I 
might  be  called  upon  to  pay  the  bond.  Bristle- 
bach  is  so  intimate  with  me  that  I  could  satisfy 
myself  without  doing  you  any  harm.  That  was 
all  I  intended." 

"  And  that's  the  reason  why  you  took  three 
hundred  dollars  out  of  my  trunk,  I  suppose  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Bristlebach  handed  me  that  money  him- 
self. I  wanted  to  pay  out  that  amount  to-night, 
and  I  drew  a  check  for   it.     I    entirely   forgot   it 


BUSTUMUPS  AT  FIFTY.  267 

when  we  counted  the  cash,  and  that  was  the 
deficit.  Here  is  the  check ;  as  you  put  the  money 
back,  I  took  the  check  from  your  drawer.  That's 
the  whole  story." 

"  Why  didn't  you  explain  it  to  Mr.  Bristlebach, 
then  ?  "  I  asked,  believing  not  a  word  he  said. 

u  Because  it  was  so  stupid  of  me  to  forget  that 
the  check  had  been  paid  out  of  your  cash." 

44  Very  stupid,  indeed  !  " 

"I  will  tell  him  about  it  to-morrow,"  added 
my  uncle. 

As  I  have  said  before,  a  man  in  my  situation 
could  not  afford  to  quarrel  with  one  so  powerful 
as  Captain  Halliard.  I  kept  my  own  counsel,  not 
wholly  certain  that  he  would  not  yet  be  called 
upon  to  pay  the  amount  of  his  bond  on  my  ac- 
count. We  parted  in  peace,  and  I  was  abun- 
dantly pleased  that  I  had  been  able  to  fight  off 
the  charge. 

The  next  morning,  when  I  went  to  the  bank, 
I  took  the  eight  thousand  from  the  cash,  which 
Cormorin  had  lent  me,  and  returned  it  to  him. 
He  was  a  happy  man  then.  I  doubt  whether 
he  slept  a  wink  the  night  before,  for  the  idea  of 
being  responsible  for  my  deficit,  as  well  as  his 
own,  could  not  have  been  very  comforting  to 
him. 


268  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

I  was  all  right  at  the  bank,  and  my  uncle 
treated  me  with  "  distinguished  consideration.' ■ 
On  several  occasions  he  assured  me  he  should  use 
his  influence  in  my  favor  with  Aunt  Rachel.  If 
I  wished  for  the  money  he  had  compelled  me  to 
pay  —  solely  for  my  own  good  —  he  would  let  me 
have  it  again.  Indeed,  if  I  was  short  at  any  time, 
he  would  lend  me  a  thousand  dollars.  I  thought 
I  might  have  occasion  to  avail  myself  of  his  offer, 
and  I  was  pleasant  and  pliable.  I  said  nothing 
more  about  the  three  hundred  dollars. 

For  a  week  all  was  well  with  me.  Bally  hacks 
went  up  to  seventy-five ;  but  Bustumups  were 
slower,  and  had  only  touched  forty  in  the  same 
time.  This  figure  satisfied  me,  inasmuch  as  it 
enabled  me  to  pay  my  debt  at  the  bank.  Yet  I 
believed,  with  the  utmost  confidence,  that  there 
was  five  or  ten  thousand  more  in  the  stock  for 
me,  and  as  long  as  things  were  easy  at  the  bank, 
I  did  not  think  of  realizing. 

Then  I  was  sick  for  ten  days,  and  was  obliged 
to  stay  in  the  house,  but  even  while  my  brain  was 
on  fire  with  fever  I  went  down  town  one  day. 
I  dared  not  leave  my  deficit  to  be  discovered  by 
my  substitute.  I  compelled  poor  Cormorin  to  lend 
me  the  eight  thousand  again,  on  the    security    of 


BUSTUMUPS  AT  FIFTY.  269 

my  Bustumups.  They  were  worth  nearly  this  sum 
in  the  market  by  this  time,  and  he  did  not  object 
very  strenuously. 

As  soon  as  I  was  able  to  get  out,  I  hastened 
back  to  the  bank,  and  took  my  place  at  the  coun- 
ter. Cormorin  had  sold  his  stock  at  eighty.  Bus- 
tumups were  quoted  at  fifty,  with  a  prospect  of 
a  further  advance.  My  friend  had  made  thirteen 
thousand  dollars.  When  I  had  made  him  whole,  he 
nstantly  resigned  his  place,  fearful,  I  think,  of 
getting  into  trouble  through  my  agency.  He  went 
to  New  York,  to  go  into  business  there.  I  did 
not  care.  My  stocks  at  fifty  paid  my  debt,  and 
left  me  forty-five  hundred  surplus.  I  was  excited 
over  the  prospect.  I  should  be  a  rich  man  in  a 
few  weeks. 

But  everything  did  not  turn  out  just  as  I  anti- 
cipated. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 
A  CRASH  IN   COPPERS. 

I  WAS  worth  forty-five  hundred  dollars  while 
Bustumups  were  quoted  at  fifty.  Every  day, 
while  they  hung  at  about  this  figure,  I  debated 
with  myself  the  policy  of  selling,  paying  my  debt, 
and  investing  my  surplus  in  some  other  concern. 
Perhaps  I  should  have  done  so,  if  I  had  known 
of  a  company  in  which  I  could  place  entire  con- 
fidence. I  missed  Cormorin  very  much,  for  I 
needed  his  advice ;  and  I  had  come  to  regard  him 
as  an  oracle  in  the  matter  of  coppers. 

It  looked  like  madness  to  sacrifice  a  stock 
which  might  go  up  to  eighty  or  a  hundred,  as  the 
Ballyhack  had,  and  though  my  debt  worried  me, 
I  could  not  make  up  my  mind  to  let  it  go.  If  I 
could  put  ten  thousand  dollars  in  my  pocket,  my 
fortune  would  be  made,  for  with  this  sum  I  could 
operate  on  a  large  scale.  There  was  no  danger 
of  another  examination  of  my  cash  at  present,  and 
I  was  secure.  But  Bustumups  did  not  advance 
as  rapidly  as  I  wished.     They  hung  at  about  fifty. 

270 


A   CRASH  IN  COPPERS.  271 

I  was  told  that  parties  were  investigating  the 
condition  of  the  mine,  and  that  as  soon  as 
they  reported,  the  stock  would  go  up  as  rapidly 
as  Bally  hack  had  done.  I  was  willing  to  wait 
patiently  for  a  week  or  two,  while  the  stock  about 
held  its  own.  Its  trifling  fluctuations  up  and 
down  troubled  me,  but  the  parties  who  worked  it 
convinced  me  that  these  were  only  accidental 
changes. 

Though  I  saw  my  uncle  every  day,  he  did  not 
allude  to  his  own  villainy,  and  I  was  prudent 
enough  to  wait  until  I  was  out  of  the  woods  before 
I  did  so.  In  the  course  of  a  couple  of  weeks, 
when  I  had  made  my  ten  thousand  dollars,  I 
intended  to  resign  my  position,  and  then  I  could 
afford  to  express  my  mind  very  freely  to  Captain 
Halliard.  With  ten  thousand  dollars  in  my  ex- 
chequer, I  could  go  into  any  business  that  suited 
me,  and  make  money  enough  to  support  me  in 
a  style  becoming  my  abilities. 

I  still  had  strong  hopes  that  the  fortune  of 
Aunt  Rachel  would  be  mine.  She  was  now  appar- 
ently rapidly  regaining  her  health,  and  I  deter- 
mined to  improve  my  chances  as  soon  as  I  could. 
On  the  following  Saturday  afternoon  I  took  Lilian 
down  to  Springhaven  with  me,  and  we  both  used 


272  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

our  best  efforts  to  win  her  regard.  I  took  her 
out  to  ride,  I  read  to  her,  and  the  old  lady  seemed 
as  fond  of  me  as  when  I  was  a  boy.  I  was  her 
only  nephew,  and  it  had  been  often  reported  that 
I  was  to  be  her  heir,  though  on  what  authority 
I  did  not  know.  I  invited  her  to  spend  a  week 
or  a  month  at  my  house  in  Boston,  and  she  prom- 
ised to  do  so  as  soon  as  she  was  able. 

A  rumor  that  the  parties  who  were  investigat- 
ing the  condition  of  the  mine  intended  to  make  a 
favorable  report  sent  Bustumups  to  fifty-five,  and 
I  was  very  happy.  I  was  worth  nearly  six  thou- 
sand dollars.  At  the  end  of  another  week  the 
stock  went  up  to  sixty,  and  the  balance  of  worldly 
wealth  in  my  favor  was  seven  thousand  dollars. 
The  game  was  becoming  intensely  exciting.  Another 
week  or  so  would  realize  all  my  hopes.  I  should 
be  free  and  safe. 

While  every  thing  was  in  this  cheerful  condi- 
tion Aunt  Rachel  sent  for  me,  and  I  hastened  to 
Springhaven,  for  I  could  not  afford  to  neglect  her 
summons.  She  was  ready  to  go  home  with  me, 
and  she  accompanied  me  to  my  house  in  Need- 
ham  street.  The  old  lady  was  a  little  surprised 
to  find  that  I  lived  in  elegant  style,  as  she  was 
pleased  to  express  it ;  but  then  she    regarded    the 


A  CRASH  IN  COPPERS.  273 

salary  I  received,  which  was  double  what  her 
minister  had,  as  princely  in  itself.  Simple  as 
were  her  views  of  social  economy,  she  did  not 
accuse  me  of  extravagance.  Lilian  understood 
the  matter  perfectly,  and  was  all  tenderness  and 
devotion. 

One  morning,  after  she  had  been  at  our  house 
three  days,  Aunt  Rachel  asked  me  if  I  knew  a 
certain  Squire  Townsend,  a  lawyer,  whom  the  old 
lady  had  been  acquainted  with  in  the  early  years 
of  her  life.  I  had  heard  of  him.  He  was  an 
attorney  of  the  old  school,  and  I  hoped  she  in- 
tended to  make  her  will  while  she  was  thus 
kindly  disposed  towards  me.  She  begged  me  to 
see  the  old  gentleman,  and  ask  him  to  call  upon 
her  during  the  forenoon. 

"  Do  you  see  much  of  Captain  Halliard,  Paley  ?  " 
asked  my  aunt,  as  I  was  going  out. 

"  I  see  him  nearly  every  day." 

"  I  wonder  he  has  not  been  up  to  see  me  yet," 
added  the  old  lady. 

I  did  not  wonder.  I  had  not  taken  the  trouble 
to  tell  him  that  Aunt  Rachel  was  at  my  house. 

"  Do  you  wish  to  see  him?  "  I  asked. 

"Not    particularly.     He    has^ done    considerable 
business  for  me." 
18 


274     .  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

44  I  know  it.  He  did  some  for  you  while  you 
were  sick." 

"Did  he?" 

"  He  made  me  pay  the  thousand  dollars  I  bor- 
rowed of  you." 

"  What,  Captain  Halliard !  "  exclaimed  the  old 
lady. 

44  He  did." 

"Why,  I  didn't  tell  him  to  do  that." 

"I  know  you  didn't,  but  he  showed  me  a  power 
of  attorney  from  you,  and  I  couldn't  have  helped 
myself  if  I  had  wished  to  do  so ;  but  I  paid  it, 
and  it's  of  no  consequence  now." 

"  I  didn't  mean  you  should  pay  that  money. 
I  shouldn't  have  cried  if  you  had  never  paid  it. 
I'll  talk  with  Squire  Townsend  about  it.  Couldn't 
you  take  care  of  my  property  for  me  just  as  well 
as  your  ancle?  " 

44  Well,  I  suppose  I  could,"  I  replied,  rather 
indifferently. 

44 1  never  liked  your  uncle  very  well.  He  is 
too  sharp  for  me.     I'll  see  what  can  be  done." 

44  I  wouldn't  say  anything  about  meddling  with 
Captain  Halliard,  at  present,"  I  suggested,  for  I 
was  somewhat  afraid  of  him  myself. 

44  I'll  see  about  it ;  but  I  didn't  mean  he  should 


A  CRASH  IN  COPPERS.  275 

trouble  you  about  that  money.  He'd  no  business 
to  do  it,  and  I  shall  tell  him  so  when  I  see  him." 

I  did  not  intend  she  should  see  him  at  present. 
I  went  to  the  office  of  Squire  Townsend,  on  my 
way  down  town,  and  left  a  message  for  him  to 
call  upon  my  aunt.  I  was  fully  persuaded  in  my 
own  mind  that  she  intended  to  make  a  will,  and 
that  she  had  come  up  to  Boston  in  order  to  have 
the  instrument  drawn  up  by  her  old  friend.  Every 
thing  looked  rosy  to  me,  for  the  old  lady  would 
certainly  leave  me  the  larger  portion,  if  not  the 
whole,  of  her  worldly  wealth. 

When  I  went  home  in  the  afternoon  I  learned 
that  Squire  Townsend  had  spent  a  couple  of 
hours  with  Aunt  Rachel,  but  Lilian  had  not 
heard  a  word  that  passed  between  them.  Then 
the  squire  had  called  a  carriage,  and  they  had 
gone  off  together.  I  was  not  very  anxious  to 
know  where  they  had  gone,  though  I  concluded 
that  it  was  only  to  the  office  of  her  old  friend  for 
the  purpose  of  having  the  will  properly  signed 
and  witnessed.  Now,  as  always  before,  Aunt 
Rachel  kept  her  own  counsel.  She  never  told 
how  much  she  was  worth,  or  what  she  intended 
to  do  with  her  property.  She  was  true  to  her 
antecedents,  and  during  the  remainder  of  her  stay 


276  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

she  never  mentioned  the  nature  of  her  business 
with  Squire  Townsend,  as  she  invariably  called 
him.  She  said  a  good  deal  about  the  worthy  law- 
yer's history,  and  told  stories  about  him  at  school. 
She  was  glad  to  meet  him  once  more  before  she 
left  the  world,  but  she  did  not  hint  that  she  had 
special  business  with  him. 

The  old  lady  staid  her  week  out,  and  then  said 
she  must  go  home.  She  did  not  think  the  city 
agreed  with  her.  She  did  not  sleep  as  well  nights 
as  at  Springhaven.  Both  Lilian  and  I  pressed 
her  to  remain  longer,  and  promised  to  do  every 
thing  we  could  to  make  her  happy,  but  she  was 
resolute,  and  I  attended  her  home,  a  week  to  a 
day-  from  the  time  she  arrived. 

I  never  saw  her  again. 

During  the  week  that  Aunt  Rachel  was  with 
me,  Bustumups  began  to  look  a  little  shaky.  From 
sixty  the  stock  went  down  to  fifty-five  in  one  day, 
but  it  immediately  rallied,  and  those  who  managed 
it  assured  me  it  was  only  because  money  was  a 
little  tight,  and  a  considerable  portion  of  the  stock 
had  been  forced  upon  the  market.  I  proposed  to 
sell,  as  I  had  promised  myself  that  I  would  on 
the  first  appearance  of  a  decline. 

"Don't  do  it,"  said  the  operator.     "  Wait  three 


A  CRASH  IN  COPPERS.  277 

days,  and  you  can  take  sixty,  if  not  sixty-five, 
for  your  stock.  If  you  crowd  it  upon  the  market 
at  once,  you  will  drive  it  down,  and  cheat  your- 
self out  of  twelve  hundred  dollars." 

"But  it  looks  shaky,"  I  pleaded. 

"  The  best  stocks  on  the  street  go  up  and  down 
by  turns.     Wait  till  day  after  to-morrow,  at  least." 

I  did  wait,  because  I  did  not  like  to  have 
twenty-five  hundred  dollars  taken  out  of  my  pocket 
at  one  swoop.  Two  days  after,  I  was  in  a  fever 
of  anxiety  about  my  Bustumups.  They  had  gone 
up  and  down  under  the  influence  of  various 
rumors,  good  and  bad,  and  no  one  could  foresee  the 
end.     At  noon  Tom  Flynn  went  out  for  his  lunch. 

"The  coppers  are  in  a  bad  way,"  said  he,  tak- 
ing his  place  at  the  counter  on  his  return. 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  them  ?  "  I  inquired, 
with  my  heart  in  my  throat,  for  my  very  reputa- 
tion rested  upon  the  prosperity  of  the  coppers. 

"  Bally  hacks  have  dropped  down  from  eighty 
to  fifty,"  added  Tom. 

"What?"  I  exclaimed. 

"That's  what  they  say.     Did  you   own   any?" 

"No  no;  no  Ballyhacks,"  I  replied,  struggling 
to  conceal  my  emotion. 

I  had  not  told  Tom  I  was   speculating   in   cop- 


278  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

pers,  and  I  think  he  knew  nothing  about  it, 
though  he  might  have  heard  something  of  the 
kind. 

"  Did  you  own  any  coppers  ?  "  he  inquired,  with 
a  tone  and  look  that  indicated  the  sympathy  he 
felt  for  me. 

"  None  of  any  consequence,"  I  replied. 

I  dared  not  talk  with  him  about  the  matter  lest 
I  should  expose  my  emotion.  With  the  stunning 
intelligence  he  had  communicated  to  me  on  my 
mind,  it  was  simply  impossible  for  me  to  discharge 
my  duties  in  the  bank.  I  could  hardly  tell  a 
hundred-dollar  bill  from  a  thousand.  I  told  the 
cashier  that  I  was  sick,  and  was  fearful  that  I 
should  faint  again  if  I  did  not  get  out  in  the  air. 
He  took  my  place,  and  I  staggered  out  into  the 
street.  There  were  people  on  the  sidewalk,  but  I 
could  not  see  them.  Every  thing  seemed  to  be 
without  form  or  shape.  I  was  in  a  fearful  agony 
of  mind,  and  dreaded  lest  I  should  drop  senseless 
upon  the  pavement. 

I  went  into  a  saloon  and  drank  a  glass  of  brandy. 
I  sat  down  at  one  of  the  little  tables  to  gather 
up  my  shattered  senses.  Ruin  stared  me  in  the 
face.  If  Ballyhacks  had  fallen  from  eighty  to  fifty, 
what  hope  could  there  be  for  Bustumups  ?     After 


A  CRASH  IN  COPPERS.  279 

all,  the  mischief  might  be  confined  to  this  partic- 
ular stock,  and  mine  might  be  still  on  the  top  of 
the  wave.  The  brandy  I  had  drank  seemed  to 
have  no  effect  upon  me.  I  took  another  glass, 
and  my  courage  began  to  rise  a  little.  The 
saloon  was  nearly  filled  with  people,  and  there 
was  a  confused  jabber  of  tongues  all  around  me. 
Men  spoke  to  me,  and  called  me  by  name.  I 
replied  mechanically,  but  I  could  not  have  told  a 
minute  later  who  had  spoken  to  me. 

44  But  they  are  a  fraud,"  said  a  gentleman, 
seating  himself  at  the  table  next  to  mine. 

"  Certainly  they  are,"  replied  the  other.  "  The 
Ballyhack  mine  has  produced  some  copper ;  but 
they  say  there  is  not  a  particle  of  metal  on  the 
Bustumup  track  —  not  an  ounce  !  The  managers  of 
this  affair  ought  to  be  indicted  and  sent  to  the 
State  Prison." 

"  Merciful  Heavens !  "  I  ejaculated  to  myself, 
"  I  am  ruined  !  " 

"  Ballyhack  has  gone  down  to  forty  within  half 
an  hour,"  added  one  of  the  gentlemen. 

"  I  heard  a  man  offer  Bustumups  just  now  for 
twenty,  and  people  laughed  at  him,"  added  the 
other.     "  I  don't  believe  they  will  bring  ten." 

"  Probably  not.     There  is  not  a  dollar  of  value 


280  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

in  them.  The  thing  is  an  unmitigated  swindle." 
The  whole  of  the  savage  truth  was  poured  into 
my  ears.  A  moment  later,  I  heard  some  one  say 
that  the  managers  of  the  Bustumup  Company  had 
found  it  convenient  to  disappear.  I  was  almost  a 
maniac.  I  cursed  my  folly  because  I  had  not  sold 
my  stock  when  it  began  to  look  shaky.  The  vil- 
lains who  had  comforted  me  and  made  promises 
that  I  should  sell  at  sixty  were  simply  designing 
knaves,  who  had  fraudulently  worked  this  stock 
up  to  sixty,  while  there  was  not  a  penny  of  real 
value  in  it. 

The  first  shock  bore  heavily  upon  me,  but  I 
soon  recovered  in  some  measure  from  its  effect. 
I  went  into  the  street,  and  inquired  for  myself,  in 
regard  to  the  coppers.  There  were  two  or  three 
substantial  companies  which  were  actually  produc- 
ing metal  and  paying  handsome  dividends.  The 
other  companies  were  swindles  ;  and  Bustumup 
was  the  most  egregious  humbug  of  the  whole.  I 
tried  to  get  an  offer  for  my  stock,  and  found  it 
would  not  bring  a  dollar  a  share.  Indeed,  it  could 
not  be  sold  at  any  price.  In  a  word,  the  five 
thousand  dollars  I  had  borrowed  from  the  bank 
was  a  total  loss. 

I   will   not    attempt  to  describe  the  misery  into 


A  CRASH  IN  COPPERS.  281 

which  I  was  so  suddenly  plunged.  If  I  had  sold 
my  stock  a  week  before,  I  might  have  paid  my 
debt  and  had  five  thousand  dollars  left.  Now  I 
was  a  defaulter  in  the  sum  of  eight  thousand  dol- 
lars. It  was  horrible  to  think  of.  There  was  no 
possible  way,  that  I  could  see,  to  escape  the  con- 
sequences.    What  should  I  do  ? 

I  went  back  to  the  bank  and  told  Mr.  Heavy- 
side  that  I  was  better.  I  resumed  my  place  at 
the  counter,  and  did  my  work  till  the  bank  closed, 
sustained  by  the  brandy  I  had  drank.  I  tried  to 
devise  some  plan  by  which  I  could  conceal  my 
deficit  for  a  time.  I  could  think  of  nothing  sat- 
isfactory. An  examination  of  the  affairs  of  the 
bank  was  sure  to  betray  me.  I  was  tempted  to 
commit  suicide,  as  others  have  done  under  the 
same  pressure  of  guilt. 

I  thought  of  my  wife,  and  my  eyes  filled  with 
tears,  as  I  pictured  the  fall  to  which  she  would 
be  subjected.  It  was  ruin  to  her  as  well  as  to 
me.  What  would  she  do,  while  I  was  thinking  of 
her  in  my  narrow  cell  in  the  State  Prison  ?  The 
thought  was  madness  to  me.  I  swore  that  this 
should  never  be.  She  should  not  be  the  widow 
of  a  living  man,  who  could  not  support  her, 
who  could  give  her  nothing  but  a  legacy  of  dis- 
grace. 


282  LIVING  TOO  FAST, 

My  pride  rebelled  as  I  thought  of  being  con- 
fined in  the  prisoners'  dock,  with  all  my  former 
friends  and  enemies  staring  at  me.  I  thought  of 
facing  my  uncle  after  he.  had  been  called  upon  to 
pay  the  bond ;  of  meeting  Buckleton,  Shaytop, 
and  others  to  whom  I  had  talked  so  magnificently. 
I  could  not  survive  the  crash.  I  could  not  live  in 
dread  of  the  calamity  that  impended.  While  I 
was  thinking  what  to  do,  my  uncle  came  into  the 
bank.  He  was  a  cold-blooded  wretch,  but  he  was 
afraid  of  me. 

He  began  to  talk  of  coppers,  as,  of  course,  I 
expected  he  would. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE   LAST   STEP. 

'  6  T  HOPE  you  are  not  in  very  deep,  Paley," 
I  said  Captain  Halliard,  after  he  had  stated 
the  question  in  regard  to  the  copper  stocks. 

"  Not  very,  but  I  am  bitten  somewhat,"  I  re- 
plied, trying  to  look  cheerful,  for  I  could  not 
think  of  exhibiting  to  the  enemy  the  state  of  my 
affairs.     "  Did  you  own  any  coppers,  uncle  ?  " 

44  No  ;  not  a  copper.  I  had  some,  but  I  got  rid 
of  them,"  replied  the  wily  man  of  the  world,  rubbing 
his  hands  to  indicate  that  he  was  too  shrewd  to 
be  involved  in  any  speculation  that  could  possibly 
miscarry. 

44  You  are  fortunate." 

44  Speculation  is  just  as  much  a  trade  as  any 
other  branch  of  human  industry.  It  requires 
brains,  forethought,  coolness.  Novices  should  be 
cautious  how  they  venture  beyond  their  depth,  for 
they  are  almost  sure  to  be  bitten.  I  am  sorry  you 
have  been  trapped,  Paley." 

44  I'm  not  badly  hurt,  though  of  course  the  small 

283 


284  •  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

loss  I  have  experienced  must  make  some  difference 
in  my  future  arrangements.  And,  by  the  way,  I 
should  like  to  avail  myself  of  your  kind  offer." 

"  What  was  that  ?  "  he  asked,  rather  blankly. 

"  You  offered  to  lend  me  money  if  I  was  short." 

"  Just  so." 

'*  I  want  a  thousand  dollars." 

"  Of  course  you  mean  of  your  aunt's   money  ?  " 

"  It  won't  make  much  difference  to  me  whose 
money  it  is,  if  I  only  get  it." 

"You  shall  have  the  thousand  you  paid  me  on 
her  account." 

"  Very  well,  sir." 

He  gave  me  his  check  for  the  amount,  and  I 
wrote  a  note  for  it,  payable  to  my  aunt.  The 
captain  wished  to  ascertain  how  much  I  had  lost 
by  the  copper  explosion,  but  I  evaded  a  definite 
answer,  and  intimated  that  I  was  bitten  to  the 
extent  of  only  a  few  hundred  dollars.  I  had  now  a 
thousand  dollars  in  my  pocket,  besides  about  a 
hundred  in  my  possession  before.  I  felt  a  little 
easier,  though  the  terrible  pressure  of  my  load 
still  rested  heavily  upon  me.  I  am  not  disposed  to 
moralize  in  this  place  upon  the  guilt  of  my  con- 
duct, for  really  the  guilt  at  that  time  did  not 
trouble  me  half  so  much  as  the  fear  of  detection. 


THE  LAST  STEP.  285 

I  owed  the  bank  eight  thousand  dollars.  I  had 
"  tinkered "  the  books-  so  as  to  account  for  the 
deficiency,  but  the  record  would  not  bear  a  very 
close  examination.  The  fact  that  I  was  mixed  up 
in  these  miserable  copper  stock  speculations  was 
quite  enough  to  excite  suspicion,  for  I  could  not 
hope  that  the  fact  was  unknown  to  the  directors, 
as  long  as  my  uncle  knew  it.  I  felt  as  though  I 
was  living  on  a  powder  magazine  which  'might 
explode  at  any  instant.  The  slightest  accident 
might   reveal  the  whole  truth  to  Mr.    Bristlebach. 

If  I  should  happen  to  be  sick  a  day,  so  that  I 
could  not  go  to  the  bank,  my  false  entries  might 
be  detected.  Even  while  I  was  in  the  daily  dis- 
charge of  my  duties,  the  president  or  the  cashier 
might  be  tempted  to  examine  my  accounts.  On 
the  other  hand,  I  might  go  a  year  or  more  with- 
out discovery,  though  the  chances  were  apparently 
all  against  me.  If  I  ran  the  risk  of  the  future, 
I  should  live  in  constant  terror  of  an  explosion. 
The  death  of  Aunt  Rachel,  I  confidently  believed, 
would  .enable  me  to  pay  off  my  debt ;  and  the 
question  was  whether  or  not  I  should  take  the 
chances  of  detection  until  the  possession  of  her 
money  enabled  me  to  set  myself  right  with  the 
bank. 


286  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

My  aunt's  health  was  so  much  improved  that  I 
could  not  reasonably  expect  to  have  her  money 
for  some  time.  In  a  week,  a  month,  a  year  —  but 
be  it  sooner  or  later,  it  was  sure  to  come  —  my 
deficit  would  be  exposed.  It  might  be  discovered 
while  I  was  at  home,  or  at  least  before  I  had  any 
suspicion  that  I  was  in  peril.  I  should  have  no 
time  to  provide  for  my  own  safety.  I  was  liable 
to  be  arrested  in  my  own  house,  without  any 
warning,  and  then  nothing  could  save  me  from  a 
term  in  the  State  Prison. 

The  cold  sweat  dropped  from  my  brow  as  I 
thought  of  this  fearful  contingency.  I  should  not 
have  a  moment  for  preparation ;  an  opportunity  to 
take  the  first  train  departing  from  the  city  ;  or 
even  to  hide  myself  in  the  dark  places  of  the 
city.  Cold  irons  on  my  wrists,  a  gloomy  dun- 
geon for,  my  resting-place,  with  the  loathing 
and  contempt  of  my  fellow-men,  were  all  that 
would  be  left  to  me  then.  Lilian,  whom  I  loved 
with  all  my  soul,  would  be  reduced  to  despair. 
My  savage  mother-in-law  would  not  cease  to 
reproach  her,  as  long  as  my  wife  was  a  burden  in 
the  maternal  home. 

I  could  not  face  the  emergency.  I  was  deter- 
mined to   place   myself  beyond   the   possibility  of 


THE  LAST  STEP.  287 

such  an  awful  crash.  I  was  resolved  that  Lilian, 
whatever  she  might  think  of  me,  should  never  be 
compelled  to  look  in  upon  her  husband  through 
the  bars  of  a  prison  cell.  Before  the  discovery  of 
the  deficit,  I  could  make  such  arrangements  as  I 
pleased.  Afterwards,  I  could  do  nothing.  It 
seemed  to  me  then  that  I  had  not  a  day  or  an 
hour  to  spare.  I  had  decided  to  save  myself  from 
the  consequences  of  one  tremendous  error,  by 
plunging  into  another.  Of  course  I  could  not  flee 
from  Boston  with  only  a  thousand  dollars  in  my 
pocket.  I  am  surprised  now  when  I  consider  how 
easy  it  was  for  me  to  think  of  taking  from  the 
bank  no  less  a  sum  than  thirty  thousand  dollars. 
I  did  not  now  flatter  myself  that  1  intended  only 
to  borrow  the. money,  though  it  did  occur  to  me 
that  Aunt  Rachel's  fortune  would  in  part  pay  my 
debt.  Before  I  left  the  bank  that  day,.  I  put  in 
my  pocket  ten  thousand  dollars,  so  that  if  my 
errors  were  immediately  discovered,  I  should  not 
be  wholly  unprovided  for. 

T  went  to  a  broker  where  I  was  not  known, 
and  bought  a  thousand  pounds  in  gold,  which  I 
carried  home  in  a  small  valise  I  purchased  for 
future  use.  I  concealed  the  gold  in  my  chamber 
ready  for  the  final  move  when  I  should  be  required 


288  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

to  make  it.  I  was  intensely  excited  by  the  reso- 
lution I  had  taken,  and  my  thoughts  seemed  to 
move  with  tremendous  rapidity.  I  had  decided 
upon  the  precise  plan  I  intended  to  follow ;  but 
of  course  it  was  necessary  for  me  to  move  with 
the  utmost   circumspection. 

I  had  only  a  day  to  spare,  for  we  must  leave 
Boston  the  next  evening.  I  must  prepare  Lilian 
for  a  great  change  in  her  future.  I  must  lay 
my  plans  so  as  not  to  excite  a  breath  of  suspicion 
in  any  one,  especially  at  the  bank.  I  had  hardly 
twenty-four  hours  left  to  complete  my  arrange- 
ments. I  composed  myself  as  well  as  I  could, 
and  went  down  to  dinner.  Lilian  was  as  cheerful 
as  she  always  was  when  I  came  into  the  house, 
and  it  almost  started  the  tears  in  my  eyes  when 
I  thought  what  she  would  be  if  the  world  knew 
the  whole  truth  in  regard  to  my  affairs. 

"  Lilian,  I  have  been  unfortunate  to-day,"  I 
began,  as  a  suitable  introduction  to  the  plan  I 
had  to  propose. 

"  Unfortunate  !  Dear  me  !  What  has  happened  ?  " 
she  asked,  dropping  her  pretty  chin  and  her  knife 
and  fork  at  the  same  time. 

"I  have  lost  a  good  deal  of  money. " 

"  Lost  a  good  deal  of  money  ?  " 


THE  LAST  STEP.  289 

44  Yes,  a  large  amount." 

"Why,  Paley!" 

44  Don't  look  so  sad,  Lilian.  It  won't  kill  me ; 
and  while    I  have  you,  I  need  not  complain." 

"  But  how  did  you  lose  it,  Paley  ?  " 

44  By  the  fall  of  stocks." 

"  I  showed  her  one  of  the  evening  papers,  in 
which  the  bursting  of  the  copper  bubble  was  fully 
detailed.  She  looked  at  the  article,  but  she  could 
not  understand  it,  and  I  explained  the  matter  to 
her. 

"  You  haven't  lost  all — have  you,  Paley?" 

"  No,  not  all,  my  dear.  But  I  have  something 
else  to  tell  you.  How  would  you  like  to  live  in 
Paris  for  a  year  or  two  ?  " 

"  In  Paris ! "  exclaimed  she,  her  face  lighting 
up  with  pleasure. 

"  In  Paris,  Lilian  ;  and  perhaps  we  may  go  to 
other  parts  of  Europe." 

44  O,  I  should  like  it  above  all  things  !  I  have 
always  thought  if  I  could  ever  go  to  Europe,  I 
should  be  the  happiest  woman  in  the  world.  But 
what  do  you  mean,  Paley  ?  You  surely  do  not 
intend  to  go  to  Paris? 

44 1  am  thinking  of  it." 

44  Are  you,  really  ?"  she  continued,  opening  her 
19 


290  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

bright  eyes  so  wide  that  her  whole  soul  seemed 
to  shine  out  through  them. 

"  I  am,  truly ;  but  I  was  thinking  you  would 
not  be  able  to  go  so  soon  as  I  should  be  obliged 
to  leave." 

"  O,  I  would  go  to-night,  if  I  could  only  go  !  " 
she  replied,  with  enthusiasm. 

"  I  have  an  offer,  or  a  partial  offer,  from  a  con- 
cern in  New  York  to  act  as  its  financial  agent  in 
Paris." 

"  Accept  it,  Paley  —  do  accept  it.  I  shall  be 
so  happy  if  I  can  only  go  to  Paris  !" 

"  I  don't  know  certainly  that  I  can  have  the 
position,  but  I  am  pretty  confident  that  I  can." 

"  Don't  refuse  it,  Paley.  As  you  love  me, 
don't !  " 

"But  there  are  a  great  many  difficulties  in  the 
way,"  I  suggested. 

"  O,  never  mind  the  difficulties !  " 

"But  we  must  mind  them." 

"  Well,  what  are  they  ?  " 

"  In  the  first  place  we  must  go  to  New  York 
to-morrow  night." 

"  We  can  do  that  well  enough.  I  am  ready  to 
go  to-night." 

"  I  can't  go    and   leave  this    house,  and  all    the 


THE  LAST  STEP.  291 

furniture,    paying    the    rent    while    I    am  gone." 

"  Leave  it  in  the  hands  of  Tom  Flynn.  He  will 
sell  the  furniture  and  let  the  house.  There  are 
enough  who  will  want  it." 

"  That  is  not  even  the  principal  trouble.  The 
bank  will  not  let  me  off  without  my  giving  some 
notice,  so  that  the  officers  can  get  another  person 
in  my  place." 

"  It  would  be  mean  in  them  to  keep  you  when 
you  have  a  good  chance  to  better  your  condi- 
tion." 

"  I  think  I  can  manage  it  somehow,  Lilian ;  and 
I  feel  almost  sure  that  we  shall  go." 

"  O,  I  am  so  glad  !  " 

"  But,  Lilian,  you  must  not  tell  a  single  soul 
where  you  are  going,  or,  indeed,  that  you  are 
going  at  all." 

4 'Not  tell  any  one!  Why  not?"  she  asked,  as 
if  it  would  be  a  great  hardship  to  deprive  herself 
of  the  pleasure  of  telling  her  friends  that  she  was 
going  to  Paris. 

"  I  will  tell  you  why,  Lilian.  It  is  difficult  and 
dangerous  business.  I  am  not  sure  of  the  posi- 
tion yet.  Suppose  I  should  go  to  New  York,  and 
then,  after  I  had  thrown  up  my  situation  in  the 
bank,  find    that    the   firm   who   made   the    partial 


292  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

offer  did  not  want  me  ?  I  should  have  lost  my 
present  place  without  having  obtained  another." 

44  That's  very  true.  I  understand  you,  per- 
fectly." 

44  If  I  find  in  New  York  that  I  can  have  the 
position,  it  will  be  time  enough  for  me  to  resign 
my  place  in  the  bank.  If  I  am  disappointed,  I 
have  only  to  return  to  my  present  place.  If  it 
should  get  to  the  ears  of  Mr.  Bristlebach  that  I 
am  doing  anything  of  this  kind,  he  might  fill  my 
place  in  my  absence  —  don't  you  see?" 

"I  do ;  it  is  plain  enough." 

44  You  can  tell  your  mother  that  you  are  going 
away  to-morrow  night,  and  that  possibly  I  may 
accept  a  position  in  New  Orleans." 

44  In  New  Orleans  ?  " 

44  Yes ;  it  won't  do  to  say  any  thing  about 
Paris  yet." 

44 1  am  sorry  we  have  to  go  off  in  this  way ; 
but  I  would  rather  do  it  than  not  go  at  all." 

I  am  willing  to  confess  that  my  conscience 
reproached  me  for  thus  deceiving  my  loving  wife  ; 
but  I  believed  that  I  was  doing  it  for  her  good 
—  to  save  her  from  a  fate  so  terrible  that 
neither  of  us  could  comprehend  it.  We  discussed 
the   details  of  the  plan  in   full,  and  she  promised 


THE  LAST  STEP.  293 

to  be  as  circumspect  as  I  could  desire.  We  had 
two  traveling  trunks  which  we  had  used  upon 
our  bridal  tour,  and  these  were  immediately  brought 
into  requisition.  Leaving  Lilian  to  commence 
packing,  I  left  the  house  with  the  intention  of 
seeing  Mr.  Brentbone,  who  had  so  long  been 
anxious  to  have  my  house.  I  found  him  at  his 
lodgings.  I  stated  my  business,  and  inquired  if 
he  still  wished  to  obtain  the  dwelling. 

"  I  am  still  open  to  a  trade.  I  offered  your 
uncle  three  hundred  bonus  for  the  house,"  said 
he. 

u  But  I  wish  to  sell  my  furniture." 

"Very  well;  if  it  suits  my  wife,  I  will  buy 
it." 

"I  lost  a  good  deal  of  money  to-day  by  the 
coppers,  and  I  must  change  my  plans." 

"Ah!  I  am  sorry  for  you;  but  I  see  you  are 
a  prudent  young  man." 

"I  am  in  a  hurry  to  dispose  of  the  matter,  for 
I  have  a  good  chance  to  board  now.  If  you  and 
Mrs.  Brentbone  will  walk  over  to  the  house,  we 
can  show  you  what  there  is  in  it." 

The  gentleman  and  the  lady  were  willing,  and  I 
accompanied  them  to  Needham  Street.  Mrs. 
Brentbone    found    some    fault   with    the  furniture, 


294  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

and  rather  objected  to  purchasing  it.  I  intimated 
that  I  should  riofc  dispose  of  my  lease  unless  I 
could  sell  the  furniture. 

4 '  What  do  you  ask  for  the  furniture?''  he 
inquired. 

"  Twenty-two  hundred  dollars,  including  the 
piano,  or  seventeen  hundred  with  >ut.  I  can  show 
you  bills  for  fifteen  hundred ;  and  a  hundred 
small  things  not  included  in  them." 

"  You  ask  too  much.  I  must  pay  twenty-five 
hundred  to  get  possession,  at  this  rate,"  said  Mr. 
Brentbone.  He  made  me  various  offers,  but  I  was 
satisfied  that  he  would  give  my  price,  and  I  did 
not  abate  a  dollar.  The  trade  was  closed,  and  he 
agreed  to  see  me  at  the  bank  the  next  day,  where 
we  were  to  pass  the  papers.  My  landlord  con- 
sented to  endorse  the  lease  over  to  the  new  ten- 
ant. Mrs.  Brentbone  had  a  talk  with  Bridget, 
and  engaged  her  to  remain  in  the  place.  Every- 
thing was  going  as  well  as  I  could  expect.  Lilian 
and  I  staid  up  till  midnight  packing  our  clothes, 
and  preparing  for  our  abrupt  departure. 

I  went  to  the  bank  as  usual,  the  next  morning. 
On  my  way  I  stopped  at  the  pianoforte  ware- 
rooms,  and  bought  the  piano  in  my  house  which 
I  had  only  hired,  for  however  guilty  I  had  been, 


THE  LAST  STEP.  295 

and  intended  to  be,  I  still  had  a  certain  sense  of 
worldly  honor,  which  would  not  permit  me  to  do 
what  I  regarded  as  a  mean  action,  though  I 
acknowledge  that  I  did  not  discriminate  very 
nicely  in  some  portions  of  my  conduct.  But  I 
settled  the  bill  for  four  hundred  dollars. 

Mr.  Brentbone  came  according  to  his  promise. 
I  gave  him  the  lease,  and  the  bill  of  sale  of  the 
furniture  for  his  check.  My  uncle  happened  to 
come  in  while  we  were  doing  the  business.  I  told 
him  that  my  losses  the  day  before  had  induced 
me  to  accept  Mr.  Brentbone 's  offer  for  my  house. 
He  commended  me  for  my  prudence.  Mr.  Bris- 
tlebach  also  expressed  his  approbation  of  the 
economical  step  I  had  taken,  and  declared  that 
he  had  more  confidence  in  me  than  before.  He 
liked  to  see  a  young  man  take  counsel  of  pru- 
dence. 

I  took  advantage  of  his  good-nature  to  put  in 
my  request  for  leave  of  absence  for  a  single  day, 
to  enable  me  to  visit  a  friend  in  Albany  who  was 
sick.  The  permission  was  promptly  granted.  I 
balanced  my  cash  for  the  last  time,  leaving  it 
thirty-eight  thousand  dollars  short,  to  account  for 
which  I  altered  various  charges  and  credits,  and 
made  several    fictitious   entries.     The   account  was 


296  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

left  square,  and  if  no  particular  investigation  was 
instituted,  my  deficit  might  remain  concealed  for 
some  time.  With  the  twenty  thousand  dollars 
which  I  had  just  appropriated  I  left  the  bank — 
for  the  last  time. 


CHAPTER  XXL 


AN  EXILE    FROM   HOME. 


I  WAS  astonished  to  find  that  I  could  commit 
a  crime  of  such  magnitude  with  so  little 
remorse.  It  is  true,  the  sin  had  become,  in  a 
measure,  necessary  to  my  salvation,  and  that  of  my 
wife ;  but  I  was  only  excited,  not  burdened  with 
guilt,  when  I  did  the  deed.  I  had  been  traveling 
very  rapidly  on  the  downward  road,  and  in  a  few 
weeks  I  had  acquired  a  facility  in  crime  which 
enabled  me  to  rob  the  bank  of  thirty  thousand 
dollars  without  considering  any  thing  but  the 
peril  of  being  discovered.  Fatal  facility,  which 
can  only  be  avoided  by  those  who  refrain  from 
taking  the  first  step  ! 

I  had  deluded  myself  into  the  belief  that 
principle  was  only  a  worldly  sense  of  honor. 
Tom  Flynn  was  a  man  of  genuine  principle,  for 
his  actions  were  based  upon  a  religious  foundation, 
which  alone  can  vitalize  principle.  A  man  may 
be  honest  because  it  is  safer  or  more  reputable 
to  be  so  ;  but  then  he  would  steal  if  it  were  not 

297 


298  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

for  being  found  out,  and  will  be  as  dishonest  as 
fashion  or  custom  will  tolerate.  When  I  had  leisure 
to  think  of  the  matter,  I  marvelled  that  I  had 
fallen  so  easily;  and  this  was  the  explanation  I 
made  to  myself. 

Tom  Flynn  had  said  as  much  as  this  to  me,  in 
the  way  of  argument,  assuring  me  it  was  quite 
impossible  for  a  man  without  the  love  of  God  and 
the  love  of  man  in  his  heart  —  which  is  the  epitome 
of  the  whole  gospel  —  to  have  any  genuine  prin- 
ciple in  his  soul.  Any  thing  short  of  this  is  mere 
sentiment,  which  is  blown  aside  by  the  rude  blast 
of  temptation.  The  hymn  he  used  to  sing  so 
much  seemed  to  tell  the  whole  story:  — 

*'  I  want  a  principle  within 
Of  jealous,  godly  fear; 
A  sensibility  to  sin, 

A  pain  to  find  it  near." 

Worldly  honor,  the  fear  of  discovery,  the  bubble 
of  reputation,  are  not  enough  to  keep  a  man  in 
the  path  of  rectitude.  But  I  will  not  anticipate 
the  reflections  which  were  forced  upon  me  after- 
wards. I  did  not  believe  I  was  much  worse  than 
the  majority  of  young  men.  I  certainly  did  not 
mean  to  steal  when  I  began  to  take  money  from 
the  bank;  and  even  when  I  found  it  necessary  to 


AN  EXILE  FROM  HOME.  299 

flee  from  the  anticipated  consequences  of  my 
errors,  I  had  a  certain  undefined  expectation  of 
being  able  to  restore  all  I  had  taken.  The  for- 
tune of  Aunt  Rachel  still  flitted  through  my  mind 
as  the  solution  of  the  difficult  problem. 

I  left  the  bank  struggling  to  look  cool  and  in- 
different. I  bowed  and  spoke  to  my  acquaintan- 
ces as  naturally  as  possible.  In  two  or  three 
hours  more  I  should  be  out  of  the  city,  perhaps 
never  to  see  it  again.  I  could  not  even  go  down 
t<*  Springhaven  to  see  my  mother  —  probably  I 
had  seen  her  for  the  last  time  on  earth.  My 
blood  seemed  like  ice  as  the  thought  came  to  my 
mind.  I  reflected  upon  all  she  had  been  to  me, 
all  she  had  done  for  me.  The  prayers  and  the 
hymns  she  had  taught  me  in  my  childhood  came 
back  to  me  as  though  I  had  learned  them  but 
yesterday.  I  was  amazed  at  my  own  folly  and 
wickedness.  What  a  blow  I  was  dealing  to  that 
mother !  When  she  heard  that  her  only  son  had 
fled  from  his  home,  steeped  in  crime,  and  covered 
with  shame  how  she  would  weep  !  For  days 
months  and  years  she  would  groan  in  bitterness 
of  spirit. 

What  a  wretch,  what  a  villain,   what  an  ingrate 
I  was  to  strike   her   in   this    cruel   manner !      My 


300  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

sense  of  worldly  honor  would  have  revolted  at 
the  thought  of  giving  her  even  the  slightest  blow 
with  my  hand ;  but  how  inconceivably  more  cruel 
was  the  blow  I  was  giving  her  by  my  conduct ! 
Could  I  have  sooner  realized  the  anguish  which 
the  thought  of  my.  mother  would  cause  me,  I 
think  it  might  have  saved  me. 

I  could  not  make  up  my  mind  to  doom  her 
who  had  given  me  being,  who  had  watched  over 
me  in  my  childhood,  who  had  loved  me  as  none 
else  but  God  could  love  me,  to  such  awful  agony 
as  the  revelation  of  my  crime  would  cause  her. 
Was  there  no  way  to  escape  ?  I  could  restore 
the  thirty  thousand  dollars.  With  the  proceeds 
of  my  house  and  furniture  I  could  make  up  three 
thousand  more.  I  was  really,  then,  only  five 
thousand  dollars  in  debt  —  the  sum  which  I  had 
lost  in  copper  stocks.  The  case  seemed  not  so 
desperate,  after  all.  I  could  go  to  Aunt  Rachel, 
tell  her,  with  the  genuine  penitence  I  then  felt 
what  a  wicked  deed  I  had  done.  She  would  lend 
me  five  thousand  dollars,  and  I  could  pay  all  I 
owed. 

My  heart  leaped  with  delight  as  I  thought  of 
this  remedy.  But  then  there  might  be  some  delay 
Lilian    was    all    ready    to    start    for    New    York. 


AN  EXILE  FROM  HOME.  301 

It  was  possible  that  the  deficit  might  be  discovered 
before  I  had  raised  the  money.  If  it  were,  I  was 
lost.  Still  farther,  if  I  paid  the  three  thousand 
dollars  in  my  possession  into  the  bank,  I  should 
not  have  any  thing  to  furnish  another  house.  I 
should  be  compelled  to  board,  and  very  likely  the 
circumstances  would  drive  me  back  to  Mrs.  Oli- 
phant's.     I  shuddered  as  I  considered  it. 

I  thought  of  my  mother  again,  and  had  almost 
resolved  to  adopt  the  suggestion  of  my  better 
nature,  when  I  was  tempted  to  enter  a  bar-room. 
I  drank  a  glass  of  whiskey.  The  effect  of  strong 
drink  upon  me  was  to  stupefy  my  faculties  and 
make  me  reckless.  I  drank  a  second  and  then  a 
third  glass,  in  as  many  different  saloons.  I  for- 
got my  mother  then.  I  was  excited,  and  pictured 
to  myself  the  delights  of  foreign   travel. 

I  am  almost  sure  now,  so  strong  was  the  ten- 
dency upon  me,  that  I  should  have  carried  out 
the  suggestion  of  my  higher  impulses,  if  I  had 
not  entered  the  bar-room.  The  devil  of  whiskey 
drove  the  good  resolution,  still  in  its  formative 
state,  out  of  my  mind.  If  the  thought  of  my 
mother  came  back  to  me,  I  drove  it  from  me.  In 
this  frame  of  mind,  I  could  not  think  of  humiliat- 
ing myself  by  confessing  my  errors  even  to  Aunt 
Rachel,  the  most  indulgent  of  women. 


302  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

I  walked  up  Tremont  Street,  thinking  of  the 
future.  The  die  was  cast,  and  I  refused  to  avail 
myself  of  the  means  of  escape  which  were  open 
to  me.  It  was  a  sorry  day  for  me  when  I  turned 
from  the  road  which  might  have  restored  me  to 
honor  and  integrity.  As  the  events  proved,  it 
would  have  been  better,  and  I  should  have  real- 
ized more  than  I  anticipated.  I  had  long  dreamed 
of  seeing  the  wonders  of  the  old  world,  and  the 
prospect  of  doing  so  at  once  had  a  powerful  influ- 
ence upon  me.  Within  twenty-four  hours  I  should 
be  on  board  of  a  steamer  bound  to  Europe ; 
but  at  the  same  time  I  should  be  an  exile  from 
home,  from  honor  and  integrity,  leaving  a  ruined 
name  and  a  blasted  reputation  behind  me. 

"How  are  you,  Paley?" 

It  was  Tom  Flynn.  His  voice  startled  me.  I 
would  rather  have  met  any  other  one  than  him, 
for  his  very  looks  seemed  to  reproach  me. 

"Ah,  how  do  you  do,  Tom?"  I  replied,  in 
some  confusion. 

"  So  you  are  going  to  Albany  to-night  ? "  he 
added. 

"  Yes;  poor  Whiting  is  quite  sick?" 

"Who?" 

"  Whiting  ;  don't  you  know  him  ?  " 

"No;  who  is  he?" 


AN  EXILE  FROM  HOME.  303 

"  I  knew  him  in  the    city    here,    and    we    were 
cronies." 

Whiting  was  a  myth,  but  I  had  a  facility  for 
lying  which  helped  me  through  in  an   emergency. 

"  I  hope  you  will  find  him  better." 

44  I'm  afraid,  it's  all  up  with  him  ;  he  is  probably 
in   consumption." 

44 1  am  sorry  for  him." 

44 1  suppose  you  knew  I  had  sold  my  furniture 
and  lease?  " 

44  No !  "  exclaimed  he,  opening  his  eyes. 

44  Yes.     Brentbone  takes  possession  to-night." 

44 1  am  sorry  for  that,  for  I  liked  to  go  there." 

44  The  fact  is,  I  lost  heavily  for  me  in  coppers, 
and  I  can't  afford  to  keep  that  house  any  longer." 

4i  One  must  be  prudent,"  said  he,  musing.  44 1 
was  afraid  you  were  going  a  little  too  fast.  Did 
you  lose  much  ?  " 

44  Considerable,  for  me." 

44  If  I  can  do  any  thing  to  help  you  out,  Paley, 
I  will,  with  the  greatest  pleasure.  I  never  had 
anything  to  do  with  fancy  stocks." 

44  Thank  you,  Tom.  You  are  fortunate.  But  I 
must  go  along." 

44 1  suppose  you  are  in  a  hurry,  so  I  will  walk 
along  with  you.     I  don't  know  but  you  will  think 


304  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

me  impertinent,  Paley,  but  I  don't  want  to  meddle 
with  your  business,  in  a  bad  sense.  I  have  been 
thinking  that  something  was  going  wrong  with 
you." 

"With  me?"  I  demanded,  not  a  little  startled 
by  this  candid  revelation.     "  Going  wrong  ?  " 

"  I  had  an  idea  that  you  were  losing  money,  or 
that  something  serious  troubled  you." 

"  What  makes  you  think  so  ?  "  I  asked. 

"  I  hardly  know  ;  but  you  seem  to  act  strangely ; 
to  be  excited  or  absent-minded.  Perhaps  you  have 
lost  more  on  coppers  than  you  care  to  acknowl- 
edge?" 

"Well,  I  have  lost  more  than  I  ought  to  lose." 

"And  —  excuse  me,  Paley  —  but  you  have  been 
drinking." 

"  Only  a  nipper  or  two  for  a  pain  which  often 
vexes  me." 

"It's  a  dangerous  practice  —  don't  doit,  Paley. 
Better  suffer  the  pain  than  fall  into  a  bad  habit. 
I'm  impudent,  I  know,  but  I  can't  help  it.  X 
wouldn't  have  things  go  wrong  with  you  for  all 
the  world.     Are  you  in   debt  ?  " 

"  Somewhat." 

"  Let  me  help  you  out.  With  what  I  have  saved 
myself,  and  with  what  came  to  me  from  my  father's 


AN  EXILE  FROM  HOME.  305 

estate,  I  have  about  eight  thousand  dollars.  Prom- 
ise me  that  you  won't  drink  any  more,  and  I  will 
let  you  have  money  enough  to  help  you  out  of 
debt." 

"  What  has  the  drinking  to  do  with  it  ? "  I 
asked,  rather  vexed  at  the  manner  in  which  he 
put  the  question. 

"  I  am  always  afraid  that  any  man  who  drinks 
will  become  a  drunkard.  Perhaps  it  is  a  supersti- 
tion ;  but  I  can't  help  it,  and  you  know  that  the 
theory  is  backed  up  by  common  experience." 

"  I  don*t  think  I'm  in  any  danger ;  but  I  am 
not  exactly  willing  to  be  bought  up  to  total  absti- 
nence." 

"  I  didn't  mean  that,  Paley.  You  know  how 
much  wine  was  drank  at  your  party.  Never  mind 
that  now ;  we  will  talk  of  it  at  another  time. 
How  much  do  you  owe  ?  " 

44  Five  or  six  thousand." 

"  So  much  !  "  exclaimed  he. 

"  All  of  that.  1  lost  just  five  thousand  on 
Bustumups,"  I  replied,   desperately. 

"I  had  no  idea  you  were  in  so  deep  as  that," 
he  added,  looking  very  serious.  "  But  I  will  not 
go  back  on  myself.  I  will  lejid  you  every  dol- 
lar I  have  rather  than  permit  the  world  to  go 
20 


306  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

wrong  with  you.  We  will  talk  it  over  when  you 
return  from  Albany." 

We  parted  at  the  corner  of  Needham  Street, 
for  he  was  going  to  the  Oliphants  to  see  Miss 
Bertha.  What  could  Tom  mean?  He  had  observed 
that  something  was  wrong  with  me.  I  was  troubled. 
If  he  had  noticed  it,  perhaps  others  had,  and  it 
was  time  for  me  to  be  gone.  He  was  a  noble 
fellow,  and  I  knew  that  he  was  deeply  con- 
cerned about  me.  From  his  standpoint,  1  had 
been  gambling  in  fancy  stocks,  had  lost,  and  was 
in  imminent  peril  of  becoming  a  drunkard  under 
the  influence  of  my  financial  troubles.  He  wanted 
to  be  a  brother  to  me,  but  I  felt  humiliated  by 
the  view  he  took  of  my  case.  Why  should  he 
think  I  was  in  danger  of  becoming  a  drunkard? 
It  was  fanaticism. 

He  offered  to  lend  me  money  enough  to  pay 
my  debts.  I  could  not  borrow  it  of  him.  I  could 
not  place  myself  under  so  great  an  obligation  to 
him.  He  tendered  me  the  means  of  making  myself 
square  with  the  bank ;  but  then  I  should  be  a 
beggar,  five  thousand  in  debt,  instead  of  travelling 
like  a  lord  in  Europe,  with  over  thirty  thousand 
dollars  at  my  disposal.  My  pride  resented  his  offer 
and  I  did  not  give  it  another  thought. 


AN  EXIL  E  FR  OM  HOME.  307 

Dinner  was  ready  when  I  went  into  the  house. 
Lilian  had  almost  worn  herself  out  in  getting 
ready  for  her  departure.  She  told  me  she  had 
been  at  her  mother's,  and  that  the  whole  family 
were  astonished  when  she  told  them  I  had  sold 
out  the  English  basement  house.  She  had  informed 
them  that  I  had  an  offer  in  New  Orleans,  as  I  had 
directed  her  to  do ;  in  a  word,  she  had  been  faith- 
ful to  my  instructions.  Before  the  carriage  came 
for  us,  Mrs.  Oliphant  and  her  two  daughters  appeared 
to  bid  us  good-by.  I  must  say  that  "dear  ma" 
behaved  with  great  propriety  on  this  trying  occa- 
sion, for  it  must  be  remembered  that  she  expected 
to  see  no  more  of  Lilian  for  months,  if  not  for 
years. 

We  drove  to  the  railroad  station  with  our  two 
heavy  trunks.  It  was  fortunate  that  neither  Tom 
Flynn  nor  any  one  but  the  Oliphants  took  it  into 
his  head  to  "  see  us  off,"  or  the  quantity  of  bag- 
gage we  carried  might  have  provoked  inquiry. 
The  train, moved  out  of  the  station-house,  and  I 
felt  that  I  had  bade  farewell  to  Boston  forever. 
I  had  my  wife,  but  I  had  sundered  all  ties  with 
every  body  else. 

"  I  hope  we  shall  not  have  to  come  back  here 
again  next  week,"  said  Lilian,  as  the  train  began 
to  increase  its  speed. 


308  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  There  is  little  danger  of  that,"  I  replied. 

I  was  obliged  to  admit  to  myself  that  I  might 
possibly  be  brought  back  by  an  officer,  with  irons 
on  my  wrists,  within  a  week.  I  had  committed  a 
crime  which  would  condemn  me  to  the  State  Prison 
for  a  long  term  of  years,  if  discovered  —  and  it 
could  not  be  long  concealed. 

"  Do  you  really  think  we  shall  go  to  Europe, 
Paley?" 

"  I  have  hardly  a  doubt  of  it." 

"  Then  why  didn't  you  let  me  tell  mother,  and 
not  make  her  think  I  was  going  to  New  Orleans  ?  " 

"  I  told  you  the  reasons,  my  dear,  and  I  hope 
you  will  be  satisfied  with  them,"  I  answered,  rather 
petulantly. 

"  Don't  be  cross,  Paley." 

"  I'm  not  cross." 

But  the  fumes  of  the  whiskey  I  had  drank 
were  nearly  evaporated,  and  I  did  not  feel  right. 
I  could  not  help  dreading  something  which  I  tried 
to  define.  If  Tom  Flynn  had  suspected  that 
something  was  going  wrong  with  me,  it  was 
not  impossible  that  Mr.  Bristlebach,  or  Mr.  Heavy- 
side,  had  been  equally  penetrating  in  their  obser- 
vations. It  was  possible  that,  at  this  moment,  the 
bank  officers  were  engaged  in  examining  mv  accounts 


AN  EXILE  FROM  HOME.  309 

and  my  cash.  Any  attempt  to  verify  some  of  my 
entries  must  infallibly  expose  me. 

Even  without  any  suspicions  of  me,  they  might, 
in  looking  over  my  accounts,  discover  the  altered 
figures,  or  the  fictitious  items.  An  accident  might 
betray  me.  Perhaps  the  detectives  were  already 
on  my  track.  Telegraphic  dispatches  to  New 
York  might  place  officers  at  the  station  in  that 
city  ready  to  arrest  me  when  I  arrived.  If  my 
deficit  was  exposed,  it  would  be  impossible  for  me 
to  take  a  foreign-bound  steamer.  My  photograph, 
or  at  least  my  description,  would  be  in  the  hands 
of  all  the  detectives. 

All  these  reflections,  all  these  fears  and  misgiv- 
ings, are  the  penalty  of  crime.  I  was  called  to 
endure  them,  as  thousands  of  others  have  been  ; 
and  those  who  commit  crimes  must  remember  that 
these  things  are  "  nominated  in  the  bond."  But 
no  telegram  preceded  me ;  no  detectives  dogged 
my  steps  ;  and  the  bank  had  no  suspicion  that 
anything  was  wrong  with  me.  We  went  to  the 
Fifth  Avenue  Hotel  on  our   arrival  in  the  city. 

I  hastened  down  town  after  breakfast,  engaged 
a  state-room  in  the  steamer  which  sailed  at  one 
o'clock,  and  procured  a  letter  of 'credit  on  London 
for  three   thousand  five   hundred   pounds,  payable 


310  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

• 
to  Charles  Gaspiller,  whose  signature  I  left  to  be 
forwarded  to  the  banker.  I  then  went  to  a  barber, 
and  had  my  beard,  except  the  moustache,  shaved 
off.  "When  I  entered  the  parlor  of  the  hotel, 
Lilian  did  not  at  first  recognize  me.  She  was 
talking  to  a  lady  and  gentleman  —  a  young  mar- 
ried couple — whose  acquaintance  we  had  made  at 
breakfast.  They  intended  to  sail  in  the  afternoon 
for  Havana.  The  husband  was  about  my  size,  and 
not  unlike  me.  He  wore  only  a  moustache,  and 
for  this  reason  I  had  sacrificed  my  beard.  If  any 
detectives,  after  a  few  days,  should  be  disposed  to 
ascertain  what  had  become  of  me,  they  would  be 
as  likely  to  follow  him  to  Havana  as  me  to  Liv- 
erpool. It  was  well  to  be  prudent  and  take  advan- 
tage of  circumstances. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

CHARLES    GASPILLER. 

I  HAD  avoided  writing  my  name  in  the  register 
of  tile  hotel,  for  I  did  not  wish  to  leave  any 
recorded  traces  of  my  presence  in  the  city.  It 
occurred  to  me  that  perhaps  Lilian  had  told  her 
name  to  her  new-made  friends,  but  they  would 
soon  be  in  the  tropics,  and  out  of  the  reach  of 
detectives.  I  regarded  myself  as  very  shrewd,  and 
I  could  not  exactly  see  how  it  was  possible  for 
any  one  to  obtain  a  trace  of  me,  after  the  steamer 
had  departed. 

I  had  given  my  name  at  the  steamer  office  as 
Charles  Gaspiller,  and  the  money  for  my  bill  of  ex- 
change was  to  be  drawn  in  London  under  this  appel- 
lation. I  don't  know  how  I  happened  to  select  this 
name.  It  was  a  French  word  which  probably  came 
back  to  my  memory  from  my  studies  at  the  high 
school ;  but  I  had  forgotten  its  meaning,  though  I 
could  read  French  tolerably  well.  When  I  came  to 
ascertain  its  signification,  I  was  not  a  little  surprised 
to  find  that  it  exactly  fitted  my  case,  for  it  means 

311 


312  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  to  waste,  to  squander,  to  lavish."  It  was  entirely 
by  accident  that  I  chose  this  word,  and  I  certainly 
should  not  have  done  so  had  I  been  aware  that  it 
covered  my  case  so  exactly. 

But  if  I  succeeded  in  concealing  my  identity 
from  others,  I  could  not  hide  it  from  my  wife. 
If  I  was  Mr.  Gaspiller,  she  must  of  necessity  be 
Mrs.  Gaspiller.  We  were  not  at  all  fitted  to  pass 
ourselves  off  as  French  people,  for  my  pronuncia- 
tion had  been  so  neglected  at  school,  that  I  could 
hardly  speak  a  word  of  the  language  with  which 
I  was  tolerably  familiar  by  the  eye.  Lilian  knew 
still  less  of  it.  I  knew  that  double  I  in  French 
had  a  liquid  sound,  and  I  called  the  word  Gas- 
pee-ay.  It  would  be  singular  that  I  should  have 
a  French  name,  pronounced  with  a  French  accent, 
and  yet  not  be  able  to  speak  the  language.  I 
was  afraid  I  had  made  an  unpleasant  bed  for 
myself.  But  I  determined  as  soon  as  I  reached 
Paris  to  master  the  language. 

How  could  I  have  the  assurance  to  tell  Lilian 
that  her  name  was  Gaspiller,  and  not  Glasswood. 
I  might  convince  her  that  the  latter  was  too  com- 
monplace to  travel  in  Europe  upon  —  indeed  she 
was  already  convinced  of  that,  for  she  often,  in 
her  lively  manner,  made  fun  of  the  cognomen.     I 


CHARLES  GASPILLER.  313 

could  assure  her  that,  while  I  was  not  to  blame 
for  my  name,  the  word  was  so  inconsistent,  absurd 
and  contradictory,  that  it  would  subject  me  to 
ridicule.  It  was  no  part  of  my  purpose  to  tell 
her  I  was  a  defaulter,  an  exile  from  home,  a  fugi- 
tive from  justice.  It  would  break  her  gentle  heart. 
Yet  I  was  not  sure  that  it  would  not  come  to 
this. 

After  I  had  completed  all  my  preparations,  I 
was  in  her  presence  with  my  bill  of  exchange  and 
my  passage  receipt  in  my  pocket.  She  was  talk- 
ing with  the  lady  who  was  going  to  Havana  when 
I  entered.  She  looked  at  me,  and  as  soon  as  she 
recognized  me,  she  commented  merrily  upon  the 
change  which  the  loss  of  my  whiskers  made  in 
my  appearance.  She  rose  from  her  chair,  but  her 
friend  talked  so  fast  that  she  could  not  at  once 
leave  her.  I  knew  how  anxious  she  was  to  know 
the  final  answer  of  the  great  banking-house  to 
which  I  had  alluded.  Upon  that  depended  the 
voyage  to  Europe.  As  soon  as  she  could  decently 
do  so,  she  tore  herself  away  from  her  companion, 
and  sat  down  on  the  sofa  at  my  side. 

"  Are  you  going,  Paley,  or  not  ? "  she  asked, 
with  breathless  eagerness. 

In  answer  to  this  inquiry  I  inadvertently  pulled 


314  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

out  the  receipt  for  the  passage  money,  which 
constituted  the  ticket.  I  did  not  at  the  moment 
think  that  it  ran  in  favor  of  "  Charles  Gaspiller," 
for  I  was  not  quite  ready  to  tell  her  that  I  had 
changed  my  name. 

"  What  is  this,  Paley  ?  "  she  asked,  blankly.  "  I 
don't  understand  it." 

"  Don't  you,  my  dear  ?  Why,  it  is  our  ticket 
for  a  passage  in  the  steamer  to  Liverpool,"  I 
replied,  cheerfully. 

"  This  ?  'Eeceived  of  Charles  Gas-pill-er  ! '  "  said 
she,  reading  just  what  the  letters  of  my  new 
name  spelled. 

How  stupid  I  was !  Why  had  I  not  told  her 
in  so  many  words,  that  we  were  to  go,  instead  of 
doing  the  thing  in  this  sensational  way  ? 

"  Precisely  so ;  that  is  the  French  for  Glass- 
wood,"  I  replied,  laughing  as  gaily  as  my  confusion 
would  permit.  "I  don't  want  Frenchmen  in  Paris 
to  call  me  Bois  de  Verre,  which  means  wood  made 
of  glass,  or  anything  of  that  sort.  The  name  is 
Gas-pee -ay,  and  not  Gas-pill-er." 

"But  how  does  it  happen  that  the  receipt  is 
given  to  you  under  this  name  ?  " 

"  Because  I  don't  want  to  be  called  Glass  wood 
in   Europe.     But,  my  dear,  we  have  no   time   to 


CHARLES  GASPILLER.  315 

spare  now,  and  we  shall  have  ten  days  of  idle- 
ness as  soon  as  the  steamer  sails.  So  we  must 
not  stop  to  discuss  this  matter  at  the  present  time. 
We  must  be  on  board  at  half-past  twelve,  and  it 
is  after  eleven  now,"  I  continued,  with  sufficient 
excitement  in  my  manner  to  change  the  current 
of  her  thoughts. 

"  Then  we  are  really  going!"  exclaimed  she, 
opening  her  bright  eyes. 

"  Certainly  we  are  ;  and  going  immediately." 

"  Why,  I  wanted  to  go  shopping  in  New  York, 
if  we  were   really  going." 

"  Shopping!  That's  absurd!  Ladies  never  go 
shopping  in  New  York,  when  they  are  on  their  way 
to  Paris." 

"  But  I  must  write  a  letter  to  mother." 

"  Certainly  ;  you  have  time  to  do  that  while  I 
speak  for  a  carriage  and  pay  the  bill." 

I  procured  note  paper  and  envelopes  for  her, 
and  went  down  to  settle  my  account  at  the  office. 
The  polite  book-keeper  asked  me  to  indicate  the 
name  on  the  register.  I  told  him  I  had  not  written 
it.  I  had  wound  my  handkerchief  around  my  right 
hand,  which  I  held  up  to  him,  and  declared  that 
I  was  unable  to  use  a  pen.  He  was  kind  enough 
to  offer  to  render  me  the  service  himself. 


316  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  C.  Gaspiller,"  I  added,  when  he  was  ready  to 
write. 

"  What  is  it,  sir  ?  " 

"  C.  Gaspiller." 

He  wrote  "  C.  Caspeare,"  and  I  was  entirely 
satisfied. 

"  Three  dollars,  Mr.  Caspeare,"  said  he  ;  and  I 
gave  him  the  amount,  though  it  was  one  dollar 
more  than  the  regular  charge. 

I  was  confident  that  I  was  leaving  no  trace  of 
myself  here.  A  carriage  was  ordered  for  me,  and 
my  trunks  were  loaded.  I  went  up  for  Lilian, 
and  found  that  she  had  finished  her  letter.  She 
gave  it  to  me  to  be  stamped  and  mailed.  I  took 
a  stamp  from  my  porte-monnaie,  carefully  adjusted 
it  upon  the  envelope,  and  put  the  letter  in  my 
pocket.  Of  course  I  was  not  stupid  enough  to 
mail  it,  since  it  would  betray  my  secret  to  those 
who  could  not  see  the  necessity  of  keeping  it. 

"  This  is  very  sudden,  Paley,"  said.  Lilian,  as 
the  carriage  drove  off. 

"  Sudden  ?  Why,  I  told  you  this  was  the  way 
it  would  have  to  be  done,  if  it  was  done  at  all," 
I  replied. 

"  I  know  you  did.  Won't  dear  ma  be  aston- 
ished when  she  reads  my  letter  ?  " 


CHARLES  GASPILLER.  317 

"  Probably  she  will  be,"  I  answered ;  but  I 
thought  she  would  be  astonished,  long  before  she 
read  it. 

I  confess  that  my  conscience  reproached  me 
when  I  thought  of  the  letter  in  my  pocket,  and 
of  the  deception  towards  my  wife,  of  which  I  was 
guilty.  Her  father,  mother  and  sisters  would 
wonder,  and  be  permitted  to  wonder,  for  weeks  if 
not  for  months,  that  they  did  not  hear  from  her. 
It  was  cruel  for  me  to  deceive  Lilian,  and  to  sub- 
ject her  family  to  all  the  anxiety  to  which  I  thus 
doomed  them,  but  I  believed  that  it  was  a  stern 
necessity,  and  I  silenced  the  upbraid ings  of  the 
inward  monitor.  With  thirty  thousand  dollars  of 
stolen  money  in  my  pocket,  it  may  be  supposed 
that  I  did  not  trouble  myself  much  upon  such  an 
insignificant  matter  as  the  peace  of  my  wife's 
friends. 

We  went  on  board  of  the  steamer  and  I  found 
our  state-room.  Being  one  of  the  last  engaged,  it 
was  not  the  best  on  board,  though  it  was  a  very 
comfortable  one.  Lilian  was  delighted  with  it, 
and  declared  that  she  should  be  as  happy  as  a 
queen  in  it.  I  was  afraid  she  was  mistaken.  She 
had  never  traveled  any  except  on  our  bridal  tour, 
and  I  expected  she  would  be  sea-sick  all  the  way. 


318  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

But  now  she  was  excited  by  the  prospect  before 
her,  and  by  the  busy  scene  which  surrounded  us. 
The  steamer  was  crowded  with  those  who  were 
going,  and  with  their  friends  who  had  come  to 
see  them  off.  There  was  no  one  to  say  adieu  to 
Lilian  or  to  me. 

If,  of  the  multitude  on  the  wharf,  there  was 
any  one  who  felt  an  interest  in  me,  it  could  only 
be  a  detective.  I  was  a  fugitive,  and  I  felt  like 
one.  While  Lilian  was  full  of  life  and  animated 
by  the  scene,  I  could  not  help  feeling  depressed. 
I  was  bidding  farewell  to  my  native  land,  perhaps 
forever.  It  might  never  be  safe  for  me  to  return. 
I  could  not  get  rid  of  a  certain  sense  of  insecurity. 
It  seemed  to  me,  after  I  saw  the  men  casting  off 
the  huge  hawsers  that  held  the  ship  to  the  pier, 
that  those  infernal  detectives  must  come  on  board 
and  hurry  me  back  to  a  prison  cell  in  the  city 
from  which  I  had  fled. 

Any  flurry  in  the  crowd,  the  arrival  of  a  belated 
passenger,  gave  me  a  pang  of  anxiety  which  I 
cannot  describe.  It  was  only  when  the  huge 
steamer  was  clear  of  the  dock,  and  the  great 
wheels  began  to  turn,  that  I  dared  to  breathe  in 
a  natural  manner.  Even  then  I  was  thrown  into 
a  fresh  agony,  when  a   steam-tug  came  out   to  us 


CHARLES  GASPILLER.  319 

to  put  the  mails  on  board.  I  was  sure,  until  it 
was  alongside,  that  it  had  been  specially  chartered 
by  the  detectives  to  arrest  me.  I  was  determined 
to  jump  overboard  and  perish  in  the  waves,  in 
sight  of  my  wife,  rather  than  be  borne  back 
to  a  long  term  of  imprisonment  in  a  dungeon.  It 
was  better  to  die  than  confront  my  friends  in 
Boston. 

I  asked  one  of  the  officers  what  the  tug  was, 
as  she  came  alongside,  that  I  need  not  be  tempted 
to  do  a  deed  for  which  there  was  no  real  neces- 
sity. He  assured  me  it  contained  only  the  mails, 
and  I  breathed  easier ;  but  I  was  not  entirely  sat- 
isfied that  the  officers  had  not  availed  themselves 
of  this  last  opportunity  to  arrest  their  victim, 
until  the  tug  had  cast  off,  and  the  steamer  started 
on*her  long  voyage.  I  was  safe  then.  My  throb- 
bing heart  returned  to  its  natural  pulsations. 

But  I  could  not  forget  the  ruin  and  disgrace 
which  would  vsoon  cover  my  name  and  fame  in 
Boston.  I  could  not  shut  out  from  my  view  the 
horror  of  my  mother  when  she  learned  that  I 
was  a  fugitive  from  justice,  and  that  I  had  mocked 
her  fondest  hopes.  I  was  miserable  for  the  time, 
and  Lilian  rallied  me  upon  my  gloomy  appearance. 
There  was  a  remedy  which  I  had  tried  before  for 


320  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

this  mental  suffering.  Leaving  my  wife  for  a 
moment,  I  went  down  to  the  steward's  room,  and 
drank  a  glass  of  whiskey.  I  found  that  lunch 
was  on  the  table,  and  I  conducted  Lilian  to  the 
saloon.  I  ordered  a  bottle  of  sherry,  and  a  few 
glasses  of  this,  in  addition  to  what  I  had  already 
taken,  soon  gave  my  reproaches  of  conscience  to 
the  winds  for  the  time. 

I  do  not  intend  to  describe  our  voyage.  It  was 
an  unusually  pleasant  one,  and  Lilian  suffered  but 
very  little  from  sea-sickness.  In  a  few  days,  as 
the  distance  from  my  native  land  increased,  I  felt 
tolerably  secure  from  the  consequences  of  my 
crime ;  but  I  found  it  impossible  to  get  rid  of  the 
thought  of  my  mother  and  other  friends  at  home. 
Even  whiskey  and  wine  soon  failed  to  stupefy  me 
unless  I  partook  of  them  in  inordinate  quantities. 
Lilian  told  me  I  drank  too  much,  and  begged  me 
not  to  do  so  any  more.  She  was  so  gentle  and 
so  tender  that  I  could  not  refuse,  for  I  had  not 
acquired  a  decided  appetite  for  the  intoxicating 
cup.  I  only  drank  it  for  the  solace  it  afforded 
me,  and  I  was  fully  convinced  that  the  severe  head- 
aches and  the  disordered  stomach  which  troubled 
me  were  the  effects  of  this  excess.  I  would  gladly 
refrain,  but  there  was  "  no  peace  for  the 
wicked.'* 


CHARLES   GASPILLER.  321 

I  will  not  attempt  to  describe  my  sufferings, 
though  I  appeared  cheerful  and  happy  to  my 
wife.  I  could  not  wholly  conceal  them  from  her, 
and  she  worried  me  with  her  questions,  anxious 
to  know  what  ailed  me.  We  arrived  at  Liverpool 
and  hastened  on  to  London,  for  I  wished  to  cash 
my  bill  before  it  was  possible  for  anything  to  go 
wrong.  I  had  no  trouble  in  doing  so.  My  signa- 
ture had  already  reached  the  bankers,  having 
come  out  in  the  same  steamer  with  me.  With 
the  gold  which  I  had  brought,  I  had  four  thou- 
sand five  hundred  pounds.  To  prevent  any  trace 
being  had  of  me,  I  went  to  another  backer  and 
purchased  a  circular  letter  of  credit  for  a  thousand 
pounds,  investing  the  rest  in  securities  which  paid 
me  about  five  per  cent. 

We  spent  a  month  in  London,  seeing  the  sights, 
and  Lilian  was  as  happy  as  a  woman  could  be, 
I  had  satisfied  her  that  the  change  of  name  was 
purely  a  matter  of  convenience^  and  she  soon 
became  accustomed  to  it.  She  wrote  letters  to 
her  mother  and  other  friends,  and  gave  them  to 
me  to  be  mailed.  I  lighted  my  cigar  with  them. 
We  had  rooms  at  Morley's,  but  we  saw  no  one, 
knew  no  one  in  the  Jipusjs,  except  the  servants. 
One  day,  after  dinner,  I  went  out  to  obtain  some 
21 


322  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

tickets  to  visit  Windsor  castle,  leaving  Lilian  in  the 
room.  When  I  came  back  I  found  her  in  terrible 
excitement.  She  had  a  Boston  newspaper  in  her 
hand,  which  the  landlord,  as  a  special  favor,  had 
sent  up  to  our  apartments. 

"O  Charles  —  Paley  I "  said  she;  and  I  saw 
that  she  had  been  weeping.  "  What  does  this 
mean  ?  " 

"  What,  my  dear  ?  "  I  asked,  appalled  at  the 
tempest  which  was  rising. 

"  This  paper  says  there  is  a  rumor  of  a  defal- 
cation in  the  Forty-Ninth  National  Bank,  and 
that  the  paying  teller  has  disappeared.  Were  not 
you  the  paying  teller,  Paley  ?  " 

She  suddenly  ceased  to  call  me  Charles,  as  I 
had  instructed  her  to  do.  Evidently  she  knew 
more  than  I  wished  her  to  know.  I  took  the 
newspaper.  It  was  dated  about  a  week  after  our 
departure  from  Boston.  The  paragraph  said  it 
was  rumored  that  there  was  a  heavy  defalcation 
in  the  Forty-Ninth.  The  paying  teller  had  been 
missing  for  a  week.  That  was  all.  It  was  mere- 
ly an  item  which  some  industrious  reporter  had 
picked  up  ;  and  the  particulars  had  not  yet  been 
published.  Doubtless  the  detectives  were  looking 
for  me. 


CHARLES  GASP1LLER.  323 

With  tears  in  her  eyes  Lilian  again  demanded 
an  explanation  of  the  paragraph.  What  could  I 
say? 


CHAPTER  XXIIL 


MY   CONFESSION. 


I  HAD  apparently  deceived  my  wife  as  far  as 
it  was  possible  for  me  to  do  so.  If  I  told 
her  the  truth,  would  she  not  spurn  me,  cast  me 
out  and  despise  me  ?  How  could  she  do  less  ? 
She  was  innocent,  she  was  true,  she  was  beauti- 
ful; and  I  was  afraid  of  her.  Many  and  many  a 
time  had  I  cursed  my  folly  and  wickedness  in 
departing,  even  for  a  moment,  from  the  straight 
path  of  rectitude.  I  wondered  that  I  had  been 
able  to  delude  myself  into  the  belief  that  taking 
even  a  few  hundred  dollars  for  a  brief  period  was 
not  a  crime. 

Be  warned,  O  young  man,  against  the  first 
wrong  step.  While  you  cheat  others,  you  are  the 
greatest  dupe  yourself. 

In  the  excitement  of  seeing  the  wonders  of 
London  I  had  found  some  relief  from  the  goad- 
ings  of  conscience,  and  from  the  terrors  of  the 
future.  Almost  every  day  I  met  some  Americans, 
seeing  the  sights  which  attracted  strangers.  I 
324 


MT  CONFESSION.  325 

avoided  them,  for  I  feared  that  I  should  be  recog- 
nized by  some  one  from  Boston.  Lilian  desired 
to  see  these  Americans,  but  I  was  obliged  to  lead 
her  away  from  them.  I  was  not  only  an  exile 
from  home,  but  I  felt  like  a  leper  among  my  own 
countrymen. 

I  was  now  to  face  a  genuine  trial,  not  a  fear, 
but  a  reality.  After  reading  the  paragraph  in  the 
newspaper,  my  wife  had  evidently  measured  my 
conduct  by  the  suspicions  she  entertained.  By 
this  time  she  was  satisfied  that  I  had  not  resorted 
to  so  much  concealment  in  leaving  Boston  for  the 
reasons  I  had  alleged.  My  course  was  inconsistent 
from  beginning  to  end.  I  could  easily  imagine 
what  had  passed  through  her  mind  since  she  read 
that  paragraph. 

Possibly  I  might  succeed  in  lulling  her  suspi- 
cions for  the  time.  I  might  even  argue  her  out 
of  them.  She  was  innocence  and  simplicity,  like 
her  father,  rather  than  her  mother,  and  would  try 
to  believe  what  I  told  her.  But  what  was  the 
use  to  attempt  to  deceive  her  any  longer  ?  The 
truth  would  soon  dawn  upon  her.  Yet  I  had  not 
the  courage  to  be  candid  with  her. 

"Why  don't  you  tell  me  about  it,  Paley?" 
repeated  she,  anxiously,  as  I  turned  over  the 
newspaper. 


326  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"What  shall  I  tell  you,  Lilian?" 

"  Tell  me  that  you  are  not  a  defaulter." 

"  Well,  I'm  not,  then,"  I  replied,  with  a  smile, 
which  I  am  sure  was  a  very  grim  one. 

She  looked  at  me,  and  I  saw  her  eyes  fill  with 
tears  after  she  had  gazed  at  me  in  silence  for  a 
moment.  I  think  that  my  tone  and  my  looks 
belied  my  speech,  and  without  heeding  the  value 
of  the  words  I  used,  they  conveyed  to  her  the 
impression  that  I  was  guilty. 

"  Why  do  you  cry,  Lilian  ?  "  I  asked,  moved  by 
her  tears. 

"  I  don't  know.  I  can't  help  it.  I  feel  just  as 
though  something  was  going  wrong,"  she  replied, 
covering  her  face  with  her  handkerchief. 

"  Why,  what  do  you  mean,  Lilian  ?  " 

"  Every  thing  looks  very  strange  to  me." 

"What  looks  strange?" 

"  That  we  should  have  left  so  suddenly ;  that  I 
could  not  even  tell  dear  ma  where  we  were  going  ; 
that  you  were  in  such  a  hurry  to  reach  your  new 
place  in  Paris,  though  we  have  stopped  a  whole 
month  in  London.  What  is  the  reason  I  have 
no  letters  from  home  ?  " 

"  Because  none  have  come,  I  suppose.  I  have 
not  received  any,"  I  answered,  struggling  to  be 
funny. 


Mr  confession.  327 

"  Paley,  you  told  me,  if  you  left  for  Paris,  that 
you  should  write  to  the  bank  officers,  and  resign 
your  situation.  You  did  not  do  so.  This  paper 
says  you  have  been  missing  for  a  week,  and  there 
is  a  suspicion  that  your  accounts  are  not  all  right. 
Tell  me  the  worst,  Paley.  I  will  try  to  bear  it," 
she  continued,  wiping  away  the  tears  which  filled 
her  eyes. 

I  was  tempted  to  do  so.  She  had  been  worry- 
ing for  weeks  about  her  letters,  and  she  would 
continue  to  do  so  as  long  as  we  remained  in 
Europe.  No  letters  would  come  ;  none  could  come. 
Her  parents  and  her  sisters  were  as  anxious  about 

her  as  she  was  about  them.     I  could   never  make 

« 

peace  on  the  plan  which  I  had  laid  out  at  home. 
My  wife  would  become  more  and  more  unhappy, 
and  after  the  facts  of  my  defalcation  had  been 
fully  published,  I  should  be  still  more  in  dread  of 
meeting  some  American  who  would  recognize  me. 
As  a  teller  in  the  bank  I  was  well  known  to 
many  of  the  wealthiest  men  of  Boston.  Under 
existing  treaties,  I  could  be  arrested  in  most  of  the 
European  nations,  and  sent  back  to  the  scene  of 
my  crime.  There  was  no  place  of  safety  for  me. 
I  could  not  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come. 

"  What  do  you  suspect,  Lilian  ?  "  I  inquired. 


328  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

u  I  should  not  suspect  anything,  if  this  paper 
did  not  say  that  your  accounts  were  supposed  to 
be  wrong.  I  don't  know  any  thing  about  such 
things,  but  this  paragraph  set  me  to  thinking  how 
strange  your  movements  were  when  you  left  Bos- 
ton.' I  wish  I  could  believe  it  is  all  right.  Why 
don't  you  go  to  your  place  in  Paris  ?  We  had 
to  leave  home  at  twenty-four  hours'  notice,  be- 
cause there  must  be  no  delay." 

"  We  are  going  next  week." 

"  But  you  have  laid  your  plans  to  travel  in 
Europe  for  the  next  year,  at  least:" 

What  was  the  use  for  me  to  attempt  to  explain  ? 
It  was  worse  than  folly.  I  had  told  Lilian  so  many 
stories,  without  regard  to  their  consistency,  that 
she  knew  not  what  to  believe.  I  was  disgusted 
with  myself. 

"  I  don't  see  where  you  got  so  much  money, 
either,  Paley,"  she  added. 

"  Do  you  think  I  stole  it  ?  "  I  asked,  somewhat 
severely. 

"  I'm  afraid  you  did,"  she  answered,  with  a 
shudder. 

"  You  are  ?  " 

"  When  I  think  of  it,  I  am  really  afraid  you 
did.     Here   we  are  in   London   under  an  assumed 


MT  CONFESSION.  329 

name.  All  your  papers  call  you  Charles  Gaspiller. 
You  told  me  you  had  over  thirty  thousand  dollars 
too." 

"  I  should  have  had  more  if  I  had  not  lost  any," 
I  replied,  in  rather  a   surly  tone. 

"  Tell  me  the  whole  truth,  Paley.  Let  me 
know  the  worst.     If  my  husband  is  a  —  " 

"  A  what  ?  " 

"  A  defaulter,  a  thief.  Let  me  know  it,"  said 
she,  with  a  burst  of  agony. 

"  A  thief!"  I  exclaimed,  springing  to  my  feet. 

"Don't  be  angry,  Paley." 

"  When  my  wife  calls  me  a  thief,  we  have  been 
together  long  enough,"  I  added,  sternly. 

I  took  my  hat,  and  rushed  out  of  the  room.  I 
was  angry,  but  my  wrath  was  of  only  a  moment's 
duration.  I  went  out  into  the  Strand,  and  walked 
at  a  furious  pace  till  I  reached  the  American 
Agency.  I  wished  to  know  the  worst.  If  I  had 
been  published  as  a  defaulter  in  Boston,  I  was  no 
longer  safe  in  London.  I  wished  to  see  a  file  of 
Boston  papers.  I  had  not  thought  of  looking  at 
them  before,  because  I  desired  to  banish  my  native 
land  from  my  mind. 

I  turned  the  folios  till  I  came  to  the  one  which 
Lilian  had  seen.     I  read  the  paragraph  again.     It 


330  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

was  very  vague.  It  did  not  say  that  the  missing 
teller  was  a  defaulter  ;  it  only  hinted  at  something 
of  the  kind,  for  the  inference  always  is,  when  a 
bank  officer  disappears,  that  his  cash  is  short. 
I  turned  over  the  sheet  to  find  something  more 
about  the  matter.  There  was  nothing  else  about 
me  or  the  bank ;  but  as  I  examined  the  paper,  my 
eyes  rested  for  a  moment  on  the  list  of  deaths. 
-  "  In  Springhaven,  15th  inst.,  Miss  Rachel  Glass- 
wood,  67  years." 

My  aunt  had  passed  away  on  the  very  day  that 
I  sailed  from  New  York !  How  I  cursed  myself 
again  and  again !  If  I  had  not  fled  I  should  cer- 
tainly have  been  able  to  pay  my  debt  to  the  bank 
in  a  short  time,  for  I  was  confident  she  had  left 
me  enough  for  this.  I  had  banished  myself  from 
home  for  nothing.  I  had  suffered  tortures  which 
no  innocent  man  can  understand  or  conceive  of, 
and  years  of  misery  were  still  before  me.  I  had 
made  up  my  mind  long  before,  that  honesty  was 
the  best  policy;  and  I  even  had  a  glimmering 
conception  of  something  higher  than  this.  I  was 
sure  I  should  have  been  happier  with  poverty  and 
hard  labor  for  my  lot,  if  I  could  only  have  been 
honest. 

How  I  envied  Tom  Flynn  !     His  piety,  which  I 


MT  CONFESSION.  331 

had  derided,  seemed  to  me  now  to  be  the  sum 
total  of  earthly  joy.  I  do  not  believe  in  cant  of 
any  kind,  but  if  ever  a  man  was  convicted  of  sin, 
I  was,  though  I  had  not  yet  the  courage  to 
attempt  to  retrace  my  steps.  My  wife  virtually 
called  me  a  thief.  It  was  only  the  truth  ;  I 
deserved  the  epithet,  and  more  than  that. 

I  turned  to  the  next  paper.  There  was  noth- 
ing about  me  or  the  bank  in  it,  and  I  continued 
my  search  till,  in  a  subsequent  issue,  I  found 
another  paragraph.  The  writer  was  happy  to 
assure  the  public  that  the  bank  would  not  lose  a 
dollar  by  the  missing  teller.  I  was  surprised  at 
this  announcement,  for  I  was  indebted  to  the  bank 
in  the  sum  of  thirty-eight  thousand  dollars.  I 
could  not  understand  it.  I  turned  to  the  stock 
lists  in  the  several  papers.  The  shares  in  the 
Forty-Ninth  had  been  affected  by  the  first  para- 
graph, but  the  quotations  showed  that  they  had 
been  restored  by  the  information  contained  in  the 
second. 

I  concluded  that  the  bank  had  determined  to 
conceal  my  deficit  to  avoid  the  loss  of  public  con- 
fidence. But  while  I  was  trying  to  satisfy  myself 
with  this  theory,  a  better  one  was  suggested  to 
me.     My  aunt   died  on   the  day   of  my  departure. 


332  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

Within  the  week  the  substance  of  her  will  was 
known  to  Captain  Halliard.  She  had  left  her 
whole  fortune  to  me,  and  it  was  to  be  used  in 
making  good  the  deficiency  in  my  cash.  Of 
course  I  had  no  idea  how  much  she  had  left,  but 
I  supposed  it  was  enough  to  satisfy  the  bank,  or 
to  pay  the  loss  with  the  sums  for  which  my  bonds- 
men were  liable.  One  thing  was  plain,  that,  if 
the  bank  acknowledged  no  loss,  it  would  not  pro- 
ceed against  me  ;  and  I  realized  that  I  was  safe 
from  arrest  while  in  Europe. 

I  could  find  no  further  allusion  to  the  missing 
teller  in  any  of  the  papers.  If  the  deficit  was 
made  good,  doubtless  my  friends  would  labor  to 
cover  up  my  errors.  As  the  matter  now  stood, 
the  money  in  my  possession  belonged  to  me.  I 
tried  to  make  myself  believe  that  it  was  Aunt 
Rachel's  fortune.  But  I  could  not  wink  out  of 
sight  my  blasted  reputation,  for,  whatever  the 
papers  said,  or  failed  to  say,  people  would  have 
their  own  opinions  about  my  sudden  departure. 
I  was  far  from  satisfied.  If  my  financial  record 
were  explained  away,  I  could  not  get  rid  of  the 
consciousness  of  my  own  guilt,  which  was  positive 
suffering  to  me.  I  was  convicted  of  my  sin,  and 
I  had  even  prayed  to  God  for  mercy  under  my 
misery. 


MT  CONFESSION.  333 

Poor  Lilian  was  suffering  quite  as  severely.  I 
had  left  her  in  anger,  and  the  tears  came  to  my 
eyes  when  I  thought  of  her.  I  hastened  back  to 
the  hotel.  I  found  her  lying  upon  the  sofa,  sob- 
bing like  a  child.  I  raised  her  in  my  arms,  kissed 
her  tenderly,  and  begged  her  to  forgive  my  harsh 
conduct. 

"  O,  Paley !  how  miserable  I  am !  Only  tell 
me  that  you  are  not  guilty,  and  I  shall  be  happy," 
she  said. 

"  You  would  hate  and  despise  me  if  I  told  you 
the  truth,  Lilian, "  I  replied. 

44  Then  it  is  the  truth ! "  she  exclaimed,  spring- 
ing up,  and  looking  at  me  with  something  like 
horror  in  her  expression. 

I  did  not  know  what  had  come  over  me,  unless 
it  was  the  conscious  conviction  of  my  sin,  but 
without  definitely  resolving  to  tell  the  truth,  I 
found  it  impossible  to  utter  any  more  lies.  Life 
seemed  to  me  a  more  solemn  thing  than  ever 
before. 

"  I  deserve  the  worst  you  can  say  of  me, 
Lilian." 

"Then  you  are  a  defaulter,  Paley?" 

"  I,  am  ;  but  no  one  knows  it." 

44  Yes,  I  know  it." 


334  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  I  wish  I  could  hide  it  from  myself.  You  shall 
know  all,   Lilian." 

"  But  give  back  the  money.  I  would  rather  be 
a  beggar  and  sweep  the  crossings  of  the  streets, 
than  live  in  luxury  on  stolen  money." 

"  Do  not  be  too  severe,  Lilian.  The  bank  will 
not  lose  a  dollar  by  me.  On  the  very  day  that 
we  sailed  from  New  York,  Aunt  Rachel  died.  I 
have  no  doubt  that  she  left  most  of  her  property 
to  me ;  and  the  bank  has  by  this  time  been  paid 
every  dollar  I  owed  it." 

"  That  is  some  comfort,  but  not  much.  You 
have  ruined  your  reputation.  Poor  Aunt  Rachel ! 
I  wish  I  had  seen  more  of  her.  What  could 
tempt  you  to  go  astray,  Paley  ? "  continued  my 
wife,  the  tears  coming  to  her  eyes  again. 

"  I  was  extravagant,  and  lived  beyond  my 
means.  I  borrowed  the  money  to  furnish  our 
house,  and  I  was  otherwise  in  debt." 

"Why  didn't  you  tell  me,  Paley?  We  all 
thought  you  were  made    of  money." 

"  I  had  not  the  courage  to  tell  you." 

"  I  know  I  am  giddy,  and  fond  of  dress  and 
show,  but  I  would  rather  have  lived  in  an  attic, 
and  dressed  in  calico,  than  had  you  run  in  debt. 
You   always    said  you   had  plenty    of  money,  and 


MT  CONFESSION.  335 

your  salary  seemed  to  be  more  than  enough,  to 
supply  all  our  wants." 

"  I  was  weak  and  foolish,  Lilian.  I  can  see  it 
now;  I  could  not  see  it  then." 

I  told  her  the  whole  story  from  the  beginning 
to  the  end  —  how  I  had  been  thorned  by  my  uncle 
and  by  other  creditors,  and  how  I  had  been 
tempted  to  take  the  money  from  the  bank.  I 
told  the  truth,  as  I  understood  it  at  the  time, 
when  I  declared  that  I  had  not,  at  first,  intended 
to  rob  my  employers.  She  listened  to  me  with 
the  deepest  interest,  occasionally  interrupting  me 
with  questions.  I  told  her  the  whole  truth.  I 
did  not  even  conceal  from  her  the  fact  that  I  had 
destroyed  her  letters.  She  wept  bitterly  as  she 
rehearsed  the  sufferings  of  her  parents  and 
sisters. 

"  Let  us  go  home,  Paley,"  said  she,  when  I  had 
finished  the  loathsome  confession.  "  I  don't  want 
to  see  Europe  till  you  have  atoned  for  your 
fault." 

"  I  may  be  thrown  into  prison  if  I  go  to  Bos- 
ton again,"  I  suggested. 

She  clasped  me  in  her  arms  and  wept  upon  my 
neck.  If  her  heart  was  bursting,  mine  was  hardly 
less    affected.     The    afternoon,    the    evening,    the 


336  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

night  passed  away,  and  still  we  wept  and  groaned 
in  bitterness  of  spirit  in  each  other's  arms.  The 
clock  struck  four  in  the  morning  ^before  we  could 
decide  what  to  do.  She  could  not  advise  me  to 
go  home  if  a  prison  cell  awaited  me.  I  never 
realized  the  pressure  of  guilt  so  heavily  before.  I 
never  knew  my  wife  till  then.  Guilty  as  I  was 
she  still  clung  to  me,  and  was  willing  to  share 
my  lot  of  shame  and  disgrace. 

In  the  morning  hours  I  told  her  what  I  would 
do.  I  would  write  to  Tom  Flynn.  I  would  con- 
fess my  error  to  him,  assure  him  of  the  sincere 
penitence  I  felt,  and  be  governed  by  his  advice. 
I  did  write,  page  after  page,  and. sheet  after  sheet, 
till  I  had  told  the  whole  story.  I  assured  him 
every  penny  the  bank  or  my  bondsmen  had  lost 
should  be  paid.  I  would  give  up  everything  I 
had. 

I  sent  my  long  letter,  with  another  from  Lilian 
to  her  friends,  by  the  next  mail,  and  anxiously 
waited  a  reply,  which  could  not  reach  me  under 
three  weeks. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
AUNT   EACHEL'S   WILL. 

BOTH  Lilian  and  myself  were  miserable  while 
we  waited  for  an  answer  from  Tom  Flynn. 
I  pictured  to  myself  the  surprise  of  the  noble  fel- 
low when  he  read  my  letter.  I  was  not  worthy 
of  the  disinterested  friendship  he  had  extended  to 
me,  but  I  did  not  believe  that  he  would  spurn 
me,  as  I  deserved,  in  my  guilt  and   shame. 

We  were  tired  of  London,  and  rather  to  seek 
relief  from  the  misery  that  preyed  upon  us  than 
to  see  the  sights,  we  went  over  to  Paris.  There 
was  no  peace  for  me  in  the  gay  capital,  any  more 
than  in  England,  and  at  the  end  of  a  fortnight 
we  returned  to  London.  I  had  written  to  Tom 
that  his  answer  would  find  me  there.  I  wished 
him  to  inform  me  whether  I  could  safely  return  to 
Boston,  for  I  wished  to  go  there,  settle  up  my 
business,  and  then  begin  life  anew  in  some  part 
of  the  country  where  I  was  not  known.  The 
future,  therefore,  was  still  a  problem  to  me.  My 
first  duty  was  to  pay  all  that  I  owed  the  bank. 
(22)  33T 


338  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

With  the  ill-gotten  wealth  I  had  with  me,  and 
with  what  Aunt  Rachel  had  left  me,  if  she  had 
left  me  anything,  I  should  be  able  to  discharge 
all  my  obligations. 

I  felt  that  I  deserved  a  term  in  the  State  Prison, 
but  I  was  not  willing  to  endure  the  penalty  of 
my  crime.  I  hoped  that  I  might  be  permitted  to 
escape  if  I  saved  the  bank  from  loss.  This  set- 
tlement was  now  the  question  above  all  others  with 
me,  and  I  looked  more  earnestly  for  an  opportu- 
nity to  restore  my  stolen  plunder  than  I  ever  had 
to  obtain  it.  Perhaps  if  Lilian  had  not  been  pos- 
sessed of  my  secret  I  should  have  felt  differently. 
As  it  was,  she  suffered  not  so  much  from  the  fear 
of  what  the  world  would  say,  as  from  actual  con- 
sciousness of  my  guilt.  She  had  vastly  more  of 
real  principle  than  I  ever  gave  her  credit  for.  I 
had  measured  her  by  the  standard  of  her  mother, 
rather  than  her  father.  I  could  not  persist  in  a 
crime  which  she  so  sincerely  condemned. 

My  wife  saved  me. 

The  misery  which  I  had  suffered  before  she 
knew  of  my  guilt  was  the  fear  of  consequences, 
the  fear  of  discovery.  Her  anguish  rebuked  me. 
She  loved  me,  even  while  she  despised  me  for  my 
sin.     Day  after  day  we  talked  of  the   matter,  and 


AUNT  RACHEL'S   WILL.  3^9 

I  was  more  and  more  impressed  with  the  folly 
and  wickedness  of  my  past  conduct.  A  man  is  a 
fool  to  commit  a  crime. 

The  three  weeks  expired,  and  I  looked  for  my 
letter  from  Tom  Flynn.  It  did  not  come,  but  I 
was  willing  to  believe  that  there  was  some  una- 
voidable delay.  Tom  would  certainly  write. 
Another  week  elapsed.  I  saw  by  the  morning 
paper  that  the  steamer  had  passed  Cape  Clear, 
and  I  waited  with  intense  anxiety  for  the  arrival 
of  the  mail,  which  was  due  in  the  evening.  Lil- 
ian and  I  sat  in  the  parlor  awaiting  the  postman. 
There  was  a  knock  at  the  door.  The  letter  had 
come  at.  last,  and  I  hastened  to  open  the  door. 

Instead  of  a  servant  with  the  letter,  at  the 
door  "stood  Tom  Flynn ! 

"  Paley,  how  are  you  ?  "  exclaimed  he,  grasping 
both  my  hands. 

The  tears  stood  in  my  eyes,  for  it  seemed  like 
the  days  of  innocence  to  be  thus  warmly  greeted 
by  him.  I  could  not  speak.  I  threw  myself  on 
the  sofa  and  wept  like  a  child. 

"  Lilian,  how  do  you  do  ?  "  cried  Tom,  entering 
the  room,  and  grasping  the  hand  of  my  wife. 

Poor  Lilian  !  It  was  more  than  she  could  bear. 
She  had  no  burden  of  guilt  on  her  pure  soul,  but 


340  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

she  bore  mine  as  though  it  had  been  her  own. 
She  burst  into  tears,  dropped  into  her  chair,  and 
covered  her  face  with  her  hands.  She  sobbed  like 
an  infant. 

"  Come,  Paley,  don't  take  it  too  hardly,"  said 
the  generous  Tom,  clapping  .me  on  the  shoulder. 
"  I  received  your  letter,  and  of  course  I  know  all 
about  it." 

"  Tom,  I'm  the  most  miserable  fellow  in  the 
world,"  I  said,  venturing  to  look  up  at  him. 

"  To  be  candid,  Paley,  I  don't  wonder  at  it. 
You  deserve  it.  But  I  rejoice  to  know  that  you 
have  come  to  take  a  right  view  of  your  past  con- 
duct," replied  he,  with  the  candor  which  always 
distinguished  him. 

"  I  deserve  all  the  reproaches  you  can  heap 
upon  me.     You  need  not  spare  me,  Tom." 

"It  is  not  for  me  to  reproach  you,  Paley ;  and 
I  will  not.  I  know  how  much  you  must  have 
suffered  since  you  came  to  yourself." 

"  You  are  pure-minded  and  innocent,  Tom  ;  and 
you  can  form  no  idea  of  it." 

"  If  you  repent  of  your  error,  Paley  —  " 

"I  do  repent,  and  I  have  asked  my  God  to 
forgive  me." 

"  Give  me  your   hand,  Paley.     Let    us   not   say 


AUNT  RACHEL'S   WILL.  341 

another  word  about  it.  All  shall  yet  be  well  with 
you,  if  you  have  made  your  peace  with  God," 
said  Tom,  as  he  took  my  hand  and  pressed  it 
warmly. 

"  You  are  too  kind,  Tom." 

"  But  I  am  talking  here  while  my  wife  is  wait- 
ing for  me,"  added  he. 

"  Your  wife  !  " 

"  Yes,"  replied  he,  with  a  smile  which  expressed 
the  pleasure  he  felt  at  being  able  to  use  the 
endearing  term. 

"  Where  is  she  ?  "  asked  Lilian. 

"  Down  stairs ;  I  will  bring  her  up  at  once." 

"But  stop,  Tom,"  interposed  Lilian,  with  no 
little  embarrassment  in  her  manner. 

"  What,  Lilian  ?  " 

"  Who  is  she  ?  "  asked  my  wife,  timidly. 

"  Who  is  she  ? "  exclaimed  Tom,  opening  his 
eyes,  and  then  laughing  merrily. 

"It  seems  like  an  age  since  I  left  Boston,  and 
I  did  not  know  but  you  had  changed  your  mind." 

"  An  age  !  Why,  it  is  only  three  months.  My 
wife,  of  course,  is  no  other  than  Bertha.  We 
were  talking  seriously  of  marriage  before  you  came 
away.  We  had  fixed  the  time  when  I  received 
your  letter,  but  we  made  it  two  weeks  earlier,  so 


342  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

that  we  could  take  our  bridal  tour  across  the 
Atlantic.  I  desired  to  see  you  because  I  could 
not  write  you  what  I  wanted  to  say." 

"  You  are  more  than  a  brother  to  me." 

44  Wait  till  I  bring  Bertha  up,  before  you  say 
anything  more*  O,  by  the  way,  she  knows  noth- 
ing at  all  about  this  affair  with  the  bank.  Don't 
say  anything  to  her  about  it.  It  would  only  make 
her  miserable  for  nothing.  Besides,  everything  is 
all  right  with  you,  Paley.     It  is,  upon  my  word." 

"  How  can  we^  conceal  it  from  her  ? "  asked 
Lilian,  as  Tom  left  the  room. 

44  We  must  do  it,  since  he  desires  it,"  I  replied. 
44  He  says  it  is  all  right  with  me,  and  if  Bertha 
don't  know  any  thing  about  my  conduct,  I  sup- 
pose others  do  not." 

In  a  moment  Tom  appeared  with  his  wife,  who 
rushed  into  Lilian's  arms.  They  kissed  each  other, 
and  I  think  Bertha  was  the  happiest  being  I  ever 
saw.  My  wife  had  not  written  anything  about 
my  crime  to  her  friends,  because  she  feared  to 
compromise  me. 

44  Why  didn't  you  write  to  us  before,  Lilian?" 
demanded  Bertha. 

44 1  did,  but  my  letters  did  not  reach  you,  it 
seems,"    replied   my    wife ;   and    I    saw    that   she 


AUNT  RACHEL'S   WILL.  343 

shuddered  at  the  deception  she  was  compelled  to 
use. 

"  We  thought  you  had  gone  to   New    Orleans." 

"  No,  we  did  not ;  but  how  is  dear  ma,  and 
father  and  Ellen?" 

"  All  very  well ;  and  very  happy,  after  they  had 
heard  from  you.  You  are  a  rich  man's  wife  now, 
Lilian,  and  I  hope  —  " 

"  Come,  Paley,  I  must  look  after  my  luggage," 
interposed  Tom,  who  evidently  did  not  care  to 
have  me  hear  what  his  wife  had  to  say. 

I  was  somewhat  astonished  to  hear  Bertha  call 
Lilian  a  rich  man's  wife.  I  could  not  fully  com- 
prehend it.  I  suppose  from  this  that  Aunt  Rachel 
had  actually  left  me  her  property,  as  I  had  antic- 
ipated she  would,  but  the  most  that  I  had  ever 
heard  her  rated  at  was  thirty  thousand  dollars, 
and  according  to  the  city  standard,  this  would  not 
make  a  very  rich  man.  I  was  willing  to  wait  for 
an  explanation,  however,  and  I  followed  Tom 
out  of  the  room.  We  went  down  to  the  office, 
where  rooms  for  the  newly  married  couple  were 
secured  near  mine.  The  baggage  was  sent  up,  and 
Tom  and  I  took  the  parlor  for  a  conference. 

"  I  suppose  you  are  anxious  to  know  how  your 
affairs  stand  in  Boston,  Paley,"  said  my  friend. 


344  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

44 1  am  only  anxious  to  make  my  peace  with 
God  and  man,"  I  replied,  earnestly.  "  I  have  sinned 
against  God  and  man.     I  am  a  wretch." 

44  That's  a  fact,  Paley ;  I  can't  deny  it.  But 
repent  and  sin  no  more." 

44  Tom,  if  it  were  not  for  my  wife,  I  feel  that  I 
should  be  willing  to  serve  out  my  term  in  the 
State  Prison.  I  feel  that  I  have  no  right  to  be 
exempted  from  the  consequences  of  my  crime  ;  but 
Lilian  would  suffer  more  than  I  should,  if  the  law 
were  to  take  its  course." 

"  Never  mind  the  law.  You  must  suffer  the 
penalty  of  God's  law  —  you  need  not  fear  man's. 
When  you  left,  Paley,  I  took  your  place.  I  soon 
discovered  what  you  had  done  to  your  books.  I 
had  nearly  fainted  away  when  I  found  what  you 
had  been  doing.  There  was  a  deficit  of  some- 
thing like  twenty  thousand  dollars." 

"Just  thirty-eight  thousand,  Tom,"  I  interposed. 

44  Then  you  were  more  ingenious  than  I  took 
you  to  be,"  added  he,  with  evident  disgust. 

44  I  am  going  to  tell  the  truth." 

44  Well,  no  one  has  investigated  the  matter  very 
closely.  Indeed,  no  one  knows  anything  about  it 
but  your  uncle,  Mr.  Bristlebach,  and  myself  ;  not 
even  the  cashier." 


AUNT  RACHEL'S  WILL.  345 

"  That's  very  strange,"  I  replied,  wondering  at 
the  secrecy  with  which  the  affair  had  been  managed. 

"  I  don't  know  that  it  is.  You  wrote  me  that 
you  had  learned  of  your  aunt's  death.  She  died 
on  the  day  after  you  left  home.  Your  uncle  tel- 
egraphed to  you  in  Albany,  but  was  unable  to 
ascertain  where  you  were.  The  funeral  was  deferred 
as  long  as  possible  for  you,  but  you  did  not  return. 
Before  your  aunt  was  buried,  I  discovered  what 
you  had  been  doing,  and  realized  that  you  did  not 
intend  to  return.  I  told  your  uncle,  and  the  presi- 
dent what  I  had  ascertained,  and  we  examined  the 
books.  Captain  Halliard  cursed  and  swore  like  a 
madman,  but  after  a  while  he  cooled  off,  and 
declared  that  the    news  would    kill  your   mother. 

"  Mr.  Bristlebach  only  added  that  the  news  would 
injure  the  bank,  and  it  would  take  a  year  to  con- 
vince the  public  that  it  had  lost  only  twenty 
thousand  dollars;  for  that  was  what  the  deficit 
appeared  to  be  then,  though  the  rest  of  it  would 
have  soon  become  apparent,  as  the  foreign  accounts 
were  settled.  It  was  therefore  decided  to  say 
nothing  about  it.  After  your  aunt's  funeral,  Squire 
—  an  old  lawyer  in  Court  Street,  I  forget  his 
name  —  " 

"  Squire  Townsend." 


346  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

"  Squire  Townsend  came  to  the  bank  and  told 
jour  uncle  he  had  your  aunt's  will,  and  that,  after 
paying  out  a  few  small  legacies,  her  property  was 
all  left  to  you.  This  information  settled  the  matter. 
If  you  had  property  enough,  the  bank  would  lose 
nothing  by  you.  Your  disappearance  called  forth 
a  paragraph  or  two  in  the  papers,  but  Mr.  Bristle- 
bach  caused  others  to  be  inserted  to  the  effect 
that  the  bank  would  not  lose  a  dollar  by  your 
absence. " 

"I  saw  all  these  items." 

"  So  you  wrote  me.  Now,  Paley,  how  much  do 
you  suppose  your  aunt  left  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  People  used  to  say  she  was 
worth  about  twenty  thousand  dollars,  but  finally 
the  sum  got  up  to  thirty  thousand,"  I  replied. 

"  Both  were  below  the  fact.  Her  inventory 
amounts  to  over  fifty  thousand.  They  say  she  had 
twenty  thousand  more  than  fifteen  years  ago.  She 
has  never  spent  much  of  anything,  and  her  stocks 
paid  her  from  six  to  twenty  per  cent.  In  a  word, 
Paley,  you  are  a  rich  man." 

I  was  astonished  at  this  information,  and  more 
than  ever  conscious  of  the  folly  of  my  past  con- 
duct. 

"  You  can  return   to   Boston,  and  if  any  body 


AUNT  RACHEL'S   WILL.  347 

ever    suspected    that    you  were   a  defaulter,  your 
money  will  cover  up  the  error." 

"  I  don't  deserve  this  good  fortune,  Tom." 

"  That's  very  true,"  replied  Tom,  drily.  "  If  you 
are  honest  and  true,  you  may  enjoy  it.  I  hope  it 
will  not  undo  your  reformation." 

"  It  will  not,  Tom,"  I  added,  solemnly.  "  I  am 
grateful  to  God  for  His  mercy  in  sparing  me  from 
the  consequences  of  my  errors;  and  I  promise  you 
that  I  will  try  to  be  faithful  to  Him  and  to 
my    fellow-creatures." 

Before  I  could  fully  comprehend  his  purpose, 
Tom  had  gently  drawn  me  upon  my  knees  at  his 
side,  on  the  floor,  and  there  he  prayed  for  me  more 
earnestly  than  I  could  have  uttered  the  petition  for 
myself.  I  felt  better.  The  prayer  did  me  good. 
We  talked  for  half  an  hoar  of  the  religious  aspect 
of  my  case,  and  I  came  to  believe  that  I  was  a 
true  convert. 

"How  did  they  explain  my  absence?  "  I  asked, 
as  we  rose  to  join  our  wives. 

"  Your  wife's  mother  said  you  had  gone  to 
New  Orleans  to  take  a  situation  in  a  banking 
office.  Your  uncle  sent  a  messenger  there  to  find 
you.  *  We  all  supposed  you  were  there  till  I 
received  your  letter.     I  showed  it  to  Captain  Hal- 


348  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

Hard,  and  explained  my  plan  to  him.  He  approved 
it,  for  the  executor  is  waiting  for  you  to  claim 
your  aunt's  property." 

"  I  must  return  immediately," 

"  No ;  I  am  going  to  stay  over  here  two  or 
three  months,  for  I  have  given  up  my  place  in 
the  bank." 

"What  is  that  for?" 

"  I  have  a  chance  to  go  into  business  in  the 
spring.  My  old  employer  in  the  dry  goods  busi- 
ness wants  to  sell  out  to  me  for  forty  thousand 
dollars.  If  you  will  go  in  with  me,  with  a  part 
of  your  capital,  we  can  make  a  good  thing  of  it." 

"Will  you  trust  me,  Tom?"  I  inquired,  won- 
dering at  the  confidence  he  proposed  to  give  me, 
after  what  I  had  done. 

"  Paley,  I  believe  your  repentance  is  sincere  ; 
and  believing  so,  I  think  you  are  not  so  likely  to 
go  astray  as  you  would  be  if  you  had  had  no 
bitter  experience  to  remind  you  that  the  way  of 
the  transgressor  is  hard." 

"  I  hope  to  prove  worthy  of  your  confidence 
and  regard,  Tom."  I  replied,  clasping  his  hand. 
"I  shall  be  glad  to   go   into   business  with  you." 

"  In  the  spring,  then,  we  will  do  so.  Now  I 
am  over  here,  I  mean  to  see  something  of  Europe. 


AUNT  RACHEL'S   WILL.  349 

You  must  write  to  your  uncle,  stating  the  amount 
of  the  deficit  Give  him  a  draft  on  Mr.  Townsend, 
who  is  your  aunt's  executor,  for  the  whole  sum. 
Write  to  the  executor  yourself,  also,  directing  him 
to  take  care  of  the  balance  till  your  return." 

"I  have  about  the  value  of  thirty  thousand 
dollars  with  me,"  I  added,  with  a  blush,  as  I 
thought  of  the  means  by  which  I  had  obtained  it. 

After  this  conference  I  felt  more  cheerful  than 
for  months  before.  I  realized  that  Tom's  earnest 
prayer  for  me  had  been  heard,  and  that  God  had 
forgiven  my  great  sin.  I  pledged  myself  anew  to 
be  faithful.  I  trembled  when  I  thought  that,  if 
my  aunt's  dying  bounty  had  not  been  interposed 
to  save  me,  I  might  have  spent  a  portion  of  my 
life  in  prison.  Truly,  I  had  every  thing  to  be 
grateful  for.  When,  after  Tom  and  Bertha  had 
retired,  I  told  Lilian  what  had  passed  between 
my  friend  and  myself,  she  wept  tears  of  joy  and 
gratitude. 

My  story  is  told.  We  travelled  in  Europe  till 
the  end  of  February,  and  then  sailed  from  Cadiz 
to  Havana,  and  thence  proceeded  to  New  Orleans. 
I  wrote  to  my  uncle,  and  sent  him  the  requisite 
papers  to  adjust  my  accounts.  He  replied  to  me 
in  a  very  good-natured  strain,  for   to   him   crime 


350  LIVING  TOO  FAST. 

undiscovered  was  no  crime  at  all.  I  wrote  to  my 
mother,  also.  I  could  not  wound  her  with  the 
terrible  truth,  and  therefore  did  not  allude  to  the 
reasons  for  my  leaving  Boston. 

When  we  got  home,  we  were  warmly  welcomed 
by  all  our  friends.  I  was  regarded  as  a  rich  man, 
for  a  young  one,  and  people  were  not  disposed  to 
ask  hard  questions.  I  do  not  think  my  mother 
was  ever  fully  satisfied  as  to  the  reason  of  my 
leaving  Boston  so  suddenly,  but  she  did  not  press 
me  for  an  explanation. 

Tom  and  I  went  into  business  in  the  spring. 
After  paying  every  dollar  I  owed,  I  had  about 
forty  thousand  dollars.  My  partner  put  in  twenty 
thousand  dollars,  and  I  the  same.  We  are  doing 
well,  and  both  of  us  stand  well  in  the  community. 
Mr.  Bristlebach  is  dead,  and  my  uncle  still  keeps 
my  secret. 

I  bought  a  house  similar  to  the  one  I  had  occu- 
pied for  so  brief  a  period  in  Needham  Street,  and 
our  home  was  all  that  peace,  plenty  and  grateful 
hearts  could  make  it. 

I  do  not  yet  feel  like  an  innocent  man ;  I  can 
never  feel  so.  I  shall  regret  and  repent  my  sin 
to  the  end  of  my  life.  But  I  appreciate  all  my 
blessings,  not  the  least  of  which  is  my  wife,  who 


AUNT  RACHEL'S    WILL.  351 

has  been  my  guardian  angel  since  the  day  that 
her  horror  of  my  crime  assured  me  of  the  reality 
of  truth  and  goodness. 

I  am  trying,  by  every  means  in  my  power,  to 
atone  for  my  error,  for  which  a  lifetime  is  no 
more  than  sufficient.  I  was  not  inclined  to  evil 
by  nature  or  by  education,  and,  I  still  feel  that 
my  crime  was  the  legitimate  result  of  Living  too 
Fast. 


SPBH 


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